Scarlet Arrow
by Jordannyy
Summary: After losing an important fund-raising battle, a former Champion must guide a noobie trainer through the Felora Region, discovering some interesting things about that fateful day long the way...
1. Chapter 1 - The Tournament

Ice kissed the back of my neck as I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for what waited on the other side of the large, stone door. I still didn't fully understand why The Boss wanted me to do this. I fought for power and to put wannabe punk trainers who have grown too big for their pants in place, not for the entertainment of a crowd. I didn't train all those years to be a performer. I didn't work my way up from poverty to Pokémon Champion for anyone but myself. 'This is so stupid,' I kept thinking.

I felt a hand fall upon my shoulder and turned to see Clark's big brown eyes staring into mine. His kind face overflowed with compassion and I couldn't help but smile as well. "Don't worry," he said to me in a hushed whisper. "You'll do fine." He squeezed my shoulder in a friendly, comforting way.

I wasn't worried about doing badly; I was the most powerful trainer in the Felora Region, after all. Clark could hold his own in a battle and had certainly earned a spot in the Elite Four, but I was far more powerful and experienced. I was Nicole Young, the Scarlet Arrow—Pokémon Champion and leader of the Felora Region Elite Four.

With one last breath, I pushed open the doors in front of me. I turned around to see Clark smiling and giving me a thumbs up. I pressed forward and the sound of the roaring crowd echoed in my ears. I tried my best to smile as I walked onto the stage, but it felt fake and contorted. I waved at the crowd and caught a glimpse of The Boss sitting on the front row, taking a long drag from a fat cigar. I still remembered his words from earlier in the day: "This is all a fundraiser. People are paying to see you beat the socks off of a few novice trainers. Don't let me down, kid."

'Yeah, Boss. Whatever you say…'

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," the announcer said into his microphone, "give it up for Nicole Young, the Scarlet Arrow!" I didn't think it was possible, but the crowd's cheers magnified to an ear-busting volume. I had to restrain myself from covering up my ears, assuring myself that it would be over soon. "And her challenger," he continued, "straight from Opalicity, Alex Ferril!"

The crowd cheered again but not quite as loudly, obviously not nearly as enthused about this boy I had never heard of. I saw him walk onto the stage. He looked young, maybe eighteen, and had the prettiest blue eyes I had ever seen. "It's an honor to meet you, Miss Young," he said as he firmly shook my hand.

I smirked at him and tilted my head ever so slightly to the right. "A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Ferril. Are you ready for this?" He nodded. "Then let's begin." We went to our respective sides of the arena. The announcer shouted for us to begin and we reached for our Pokéballs. "Go, Roselia!" I shouted and summoned her onto the field. She opened her arms and her rose hands glistened with morning dew.

"Go, Charizard!" Alex said and summoned the mighty behemoth onto the battlefield. It snarled and roared at Roselia, but she kept her composition, mimicking her calm and collected trainer. He grinned smugly, knowing his fire-flying type Pokémon would have the upper hand against a grass-poison type like Roselia. "Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

The dragon took a deep breath and spewed forth a stream of fire, incinerating all the oxygen it touched and making the air thick and hazy. Roselia put her petal hands in front of her body and the fires dissipated upon striking them. "Roselia, counter with Petal Dance."

A smirk feathered across the tiny Pokémon's face as she spun amidst the assaulting blaze. Several petals ejected from her queenliest hands and fluttered carelessly around her delicate body. She came to a stop, but the indigo and pink petals continued to dance around her, spiraling like a small twister. The crowd ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the dazzling spectacle.

I brought my fingers together at my side and rubbed them against each other, creating a small pocket of heat in my palm. Then, faster than the fluttering of an eyelash, I snapped. The sound was so quiet that I almost didn't hear it myself, but I knew Roselia had heard it. Because, at that moment, she let out a small cry and sent the twirling petals flying at Alex's Charizard.

The petals cascaded over the Pokémon, slicing through his skin, and he swatted furiously to alleviate himself from the floral torture. "Charizard, use Fire Spin!" Alex shouted and the dragon obeyed. It curled up into a flaming ball and spun, dissipating the petals and freeing itself from the assault. Alex grinned and said, "Now use Rock Smash

Charizard flung himself at the small Pokémon and wound up his fist, preparing for the attack. Roselia stood completely still, like a florid statue, and watched as the dragon approached. I chuckled lightly to myself and whispered, "Toxic Spikes."

Roselia lifted her rosy hands by her sides and let out a high-pitched sigh before an uncountable amount of prickly thorns rapid fired from her body at the flaming dragon sailing at her. His eyes widened at the threatening display that was rapidly approaching him and came to an abrupt halt. He wrapped his wings around himself in an attempt to shield his body, but to no avail. The poisonous needles, while individually no larger than a toothpick, rained down on the Charizard. They sliced him relentlessly, leaving pinprick sized markings all over his orange skin.

After the spiky storm petered out, Charizard unfurled his wings to reveal his entire body battered from the attack. He lifted his leg to take a step forward, but collapsed to the hard earth like a mighty oak tree.

The crowded roared into applause once again and I took a deep breath, feeling my chest expand with the inhale of oxygen. I looked around the crowd—searching for The Boss—and found him with his fat thumb slightly more elevated than his other fingers. I smiled and turned back to the announcer, who was praising my victory. I watched as Alex called his Charizard back into its Poké Ball and left.

Ever since I was a little girl, I would try to put stories behind people, even if I barely knew them. My theory about Alex was that he was just another wannabe trainer who thought he could take me on. Knowing that I put him in his place should have brought me joy. But there was something in his eyes that couldn't evoke that familiar feeling; some nagging feeling that I should've went easier on him. But I cast the thought away and basked in my victory.

"Great job, Nicole!" I turned to see Clover cheering me on from the stands. Her bouncy blond curls bobbled on head as she hopped and punched the air. I found myself smiling and mouthed the words 'thank you' to her. Despite her childish disposition, Clover was a powerful and well respected member of the Elite Four. Aside from Clark, she was my best friend.

I turned back to the battlefield so see another boy walked on the stage. I smiled, ready and willing for another battle.

I easily defeated the lad, as well as the all of the other trainers who followed him, with my powerful Pokémon. I lost track after twelve, but I was certain that the oncoming girl was the last challenger. She had long twilight hair and piercing green eyes, and the announcer informed the crowd that her name was Annalisa from Garne Town.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Annalisa," I said with an unusual twinge of genuine kindness in my tone while extending my hand. She shook it loosely and rolled her eyes past mine.

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled and went back to her side of the arena. The announcer shouted for us to begin and the crowded cheered once again. By now, my ears had adjusted to the thunderous clamor and I reached into my handbag for Blissey's Poké Ball. I pulled it out and summoned the Happiness Pokémon onto the arena. She spun in an elegant circle and pulled the large white egg out of her stomach pouch, twirling it around like a basketball before returning it to its home.

Annalisa sighed and threw a Poké Ball onto the field. Upon bouncing off the ground, the ball spawned a Pokémon that I hadn't seen before. It was a dark, feminine creature with a long black dress adorned with white bows. Its hair greatly resembled four disks protruding from either side of her purple head and a snowy lace tied around the top. She had white bands around her skinny wrists and a pair of large blue eyes decorated her face.

'What is that thing?' I wondered, racking my brain of all the Pokémon I'd ever seen before. I had no memories of any that even slightly resembled it, but I guessed that it was a dark type, just from the coloring and design. I smiled, remembered my type-matchup lessons. 'Dark is weak against fighting and bug, neither of which Blissey is, but she knows a fighting type move.'

"Gothitelle," Annalisa began, "use Fake Tears." The unknown Pokémon's lower lip quivered before she burst into tears. She rested her face in her palms as the tears streamed down to the ground.

Blissey—the Happiness Pokémon, one that can't bear to see another Pokémon sad or distressed—was instantly filled with concern and compassion for the weeping Pokémon. Without even looking to me for confirmation, Blissey took off at Gothitelle. "Blissey!" I called. "Don't you dare." But she ignored my commands, overcome with sympathy. Upon reaching the sorrow-filled Pokémon, Blissey consoled her and offered her the egg from her pouch.

Gothitelle looked up at Blissey, but her face wasn't one of sadness; instead, it was painted with an expression of devious mischief. Her tears had evaporated and she lifted her slender arms, her hands radiating an eerie dark aura. Before Blissey had time to react, Gothitelle smashed her hands into the Pokémon's side, sending her sailing across the arena. 'Faint Attack,' I thought, 'a move that catches Pokémon off guard.'

"Good job, Gothitelle," Annalisa cheered.

I brushed a lock of hair out of my face and pointed at her Pokémon. "Blissey, use Brick Break!" I ordered.

Blissey stood and dusted herself off before shooting Gothitelle an evil glare. She ran at the Pokémon with her fist raised, no longer worried about her well being. Blissey's fist caught a direct hit against Gothitelle's left cheek, but the Pokémon didn't even flinch against the wall-shattering attack. I felt a gasp escape from between my lips. "I don't understand, fighting should be super effective against dark types," I mumbled.

"Gothitelle's not a dark type," Annalisa explained. I looked up at the sound of her voice to see the girl smirking at me. "She's a psychic." She turned to her Pokémon. "Prove it with Psybeam!" The psychic type—as I know realized—lifted her petite hands into the air and fired a rainbow entwined psychedelic ray at Blissey, dispersing upon contact with her pink fur. She braced herself against the magical attack, squinting her left eye shut from the pain.

"Blissey, are you alright? Do you need a Softboiled?" I asked. She shook her head no and awaited my command. "Okay, well use Egg Bomb!" At my behest, she took the egg from her pouch and flung it at Gothitelle like a football. 'Wow,' I thought to myself, 'Blissey would be good at sports.' Were the situation different, I might have found myself laughing at the absurd joke, but right now I was only worried about winning this battle. It had been a while since I actually did that: worried about a battle.

The large, snowy egg landed at Gothitelle's feet and exploded, causing a cloud of dust to arise in front of her, shielding her from my view. When the brume cleared, the psychic type was gone. Blissey careened her body, searching for Gothitelle, but she was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, without warning, Gothitelle appeared next to Blissey and attacked her with Faint Attack, sending her to the ground. She stood over Blissey arrogantly to gloat, but was met with a face full of Egg Bomb and was sent hurtling backward. Blissey hopped to her feet, already holding another egg, tossing it softly upward and catching it before pitching it like a baseball at the already stunned Gothitelle.

"Good job, Bliss!" I cheered her. "Go ahead and eat a Softboiled." I've never been able to figure out how, but Blissey was somehow able to regenerate her eggs. Even if she was munching on one or using it as weapon, there always seemed to be another resting in her pouch. She gobbled up the egg and I watched as her scratches and scuffmarks slowly vanished from the nutritious diet.

Gothitelle rose to her feet and regained her composure, lightly brushing off some gravel on her shoulder. "Gothitelle, you're losing it!" Annalisa reprimanded. "Come on, you have to be able to win! That man promised us we would!" The slightly weary psychic type lifted her hands high above her head and a strange rush of energy ran to them. The psychic energy was so powerful that it sent chills down my spine and caused the hairs on my nape to rise.

"That's right, Gothitelle!" Annalisa egged her on. "Use Psycho Boost!"

The name of the move struck fear into my soul. Psycho Boost was one of the most powerful moves I had ever come in contact with. This Pokémon was strong enough as it was, but with a move like that, Blissey could be instantly knocked out. But then I remembered…

Gothitelle pointed her palms at Blissey and a powerful surge of psychic energy sped at my Pokémon. A confident grin grazed across my face as I yelled out my command. "Protect!"

Psycho Boost was a powerful move, but it required so much energy to use that it left its user very weak afterward. If Blissey could block the attack, then it wouldn't take much effort to beat Gothitelle.

The surge of energy kept spiraling through the atmosphere as Blissey raised her hands to form the protective shield. A bubble like barrier fabricated around the Pokémon and she took a step forward to give it extra support.

But, on that small feather-like step, Blissey tripped. Losing her concentration, the bubble vanished and the energy wave crashed into her, pushing her backward until she smashed into the stadium wall. The crowd gasped and I found myself doing the same.

After the smoke where Blissey crashed into the wall cleared, every saw that she was knocked out. Her body slumped over flaccidly and her eyelids neglected to twitch.

My plan had failed, the attack had landed, and the battle was over.

The announcer regained his composure and spoke wearily into the microphone. "Well, it seems that Annalisa is the winner." The crowd hesitated, but soon everyone was cheering. I knew they were celebrating her win, but it felt like they were rejoicing in my loss.

I cast my gaze up to where The Boss had been sitting to find him walking away from his seat, eyes closed, shaking his head in shame. I looked to Clover and found her looking away from the arena, avoiding eye contact with me.

I, Nicole Young, the Scarlet Arrow, had lost.


	2. Chapter 2 - Saving Grace

The door slammed and it seemed like the whole room shook from the sheer force of it. Cheeks puffed out, sweating from his own anger, The Boss waddled like a penguin to his desk and sat down, letting a sigh pass by his curled up lips as the chair sank under his weight. He rested his palms on the wooden desk and stared at me with his beady eyes. "What happened out there?"

Honestly, I didn't know. "Blissey just had a little fall. It's really not a big deal," I reasoned with him. But it was. It was a huge deal, to me and him both.

"Yeah, give her a break," Clover said from her sitting position on the floor. She tossed her head to side, her blond curls bouncing like coiled springs, and traded which leg crisscrossed over the other. "I mean, it was only one battle."

The Boss shot her a look that said a million profanities without him even opening his mouth. "Yeah, one battle." He cast his gaze back in my direction. "One battle that cost me over fifteen thousand dollars!"

This time I was sure of it: the room definitely quivered at his powerful, booming voice. "You lost that great of an amount?" I asked. I had known that it was a fund-raising tournament, but the thought of losing money on it never crossed my mind.

He shook his head. "Not just me, over three-quarters of the audience placed bets on you to win. They all demanded a refund after you so carelessly lost. I'm on the verge of bankruptcy!" I found my eyes involuntarily squinting from his thunderous rant. He leaned back in his chair and unclasped the top two buttons on his sky blue dress shirt, probably to vent the heat festering from his anger.

"Come on, man, it was accident," said Sampson, another member of the Elite Four. "It's not like she lost on purpose or anything."

Careening his stout neck left and right as if looking for someone, The Boss said, "Oh, I'm sorry. You must've mistaken me for someone who gives a flying cheese puff!" Sampson opened his mouth to reply, but quickly closed it. As eccentric as he was, he knew better than to piss The Boss off further.

"Look," I began, "if you'll simply grant me another chance I'll—"

"Another chance?" he cut me off, stopping whatever saving grace words I had hoped to spill out in the back of my mouth. He leaned forward, the edge of the desk pressing into his belly. "There won't be another chance."

My eyes widened and I felt a lump start to grow in my throat. "What are you saying?"

"Nicole," he said and took a deep breath, "you're fired."

My heart stopped in that moment. It was as if his words were made of knives and they sliced through my chest like it was nothing more than a stick of hot butter. _You're fired_. No, I was dead.

"Boss, you can't be serious!" Clark protested, stepping in front of me. "It was just a little mistake! You're really going to fire her over something as trivial as that?" I blushed as he defended me.

"Excuse me, Clark," he said, spitting out his name like a sunflower seed, "but nobody died and left you Queen."

"But Boss…"

"I'm the top dog around her so I can do as I please!" he belted. "And if I say she's fired, then she's fired! Now get her out of here!"

But Clark stayed where he was. "Where would we even find another Champion?" he asked calmly.

The Boss lowered his bushy eyebrows and spoke more quietly than he had this whole time. "They come a dime a dozen. Heck, even if I can't find one, I'll just boot one of you up to the position. The only thing I care about right now is her leaving. I can't bear to look at her face! Heather, take her away!"

Heather, the last member of the Elite Four, grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me from the room. I stared at the back of her head, her long, lavender hair sashaying as she walked. I couldn't believe this was happening. All those years of hard work and training were flushed down the toilet because of one little slip. Literally.

"Stay in here for a while," Heather said in her usual monotonous voice as she guided me to her bedroom. "We'll talk to the boss for you. We won't let you get fired." I thought it would be appropriate for someone to smile after saying something like that, but considering it was Heather, I knew it wasn't likely. She closed the door and I listened to the sound of her departing footsteps until they finally faded away.

I looked around Heather's room: dull and lifeless, just like her. I sat down on her bed and grazed my hand over the gray sheets. I felt a longingly familiar sting in my eyes that I had almost forgotten the feel of before tears started rolling down my cheeks, plopping on the blanket below once they reached my chin. I couldn't contain myself; I fell over in my own self pity and cried for what could've been hours before soundlessly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

I stood in a floral field, the fragrant scents of freshly cut grass and new flower blossoms wafted by my nose, and a gentle breeze tickled my crimson braid. I looked around to find a trace of life—human or Pokémon—but was only met by a clear cerulean sky and viridian plains. It was so beautiful that, even if it was for just an evanescent moment, I forgot about the tournament and losing and getting fired. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.

I lay down on the soft grass and stared up at the motionless sea of deep blue. My eyes grew heavy as if they had mountains of sand in them, weighing them down until they simply could not stay open any longer. They slowly sealed themselves shut, but the memory of the gorgeous scene remained seared in my mind.

"Nicole, wake up." A voice crashed through my head.

I opened my eyes to see the lush scenery being ripped away from me by the seams. 'No, come back!' I pleaded. 'Please, don't leave me!'

"Wake up, Nicole." It grew louder until I had to cover my ears to keep my head from bursting. My body began to vibrate like a hummingbird and I couldn't contain the scream that was pounding against my insides. I cried out, begging for it to stop, but it didn't.

With a gasp, I jolted awake in Heather's dreary bed and punched Clark in the nose. He had been trying to wake me and was now clutching his face from my strike. "Oh, Clark. My apologies, you startled me."

He released his nose—which was red, but would probably not even bruise—and rolled his eyes at me. "Have a nice nap?" he asked.

"I think I deserved a nap," I declared, "getting fired and all. It's been a tough day for me."

Clark's eyes sparked to life and a smirk grew on his face. "About that, you might not get fired after all."

For the first time since I lost the battle, I actually felt alive again. My heart started beating at its normal pace and I actually felt myself smiling. "Really?"

He nodded. "I convinced him to give a second chance. Well, we all did, really."

"Oh, thank you, Clark!" I hugged him around his neck and he patted me on the back. I could smell his minty body wash with a hint of Old Spice, a strange combination that worked perfectly for him.

After I let him go, he gave me a grave look. "It's not as simple as you think, Nicole."

He informed me that in order for me to regain my title as Champion, I had to guide some random, beginning trainer through the Felora Region, train them and help them to overcome all of the challenges. It wasn't the kind of thing I would enjoy doing, but I'd be willing to do anything to regain my title.

I was also enlightened on the fact that I was to meet him or her in Garne Town, a small town that wasn't even recognized on most maps until Professor Maple moved there two years ago. However, her recent disappearance had been a surprising tragedy to the entire Felora Region and could threaten its removal from the maps. Not to mention the downfall of all Pokémon research being conducted there.

"The train from Peridotia to Garne Town leaves soon so you better hurry," he said. He picked up a red and white duffel bag with a black shoulder strap that I recognized to be mine. With an embarrassed grin, he said, "I took the liberty of packing your things for you."

I smiled at him and clasped his hand between mine. "Thank you, Clark. So much." I rose to my feet, kissed him on the cheek, took the duffel bag, and walked out the door. I bumped into Heather on the way out and made sure to give her a hug, even though she didn't return it.

"We'll miss you!" Sampson said as he hugged me so tightly I thought I might lose consciousness from lack of oxygen. I finally got him to release me and I saw that he was crying genuine tears.

I turned to Clover, who took the charm bracelet off her wrist and slid it on mine. "Take care, and good luck," she said. I rolled my eyes, thinking how much I would miss her always talking about luck and fate. I rolled the bracelet around on my wrist and observed each charm: a four-leaf clover, a purple horseshoe, a fuzzy rabbit's foot, a dragonfly with four long wings, a feathery dream catcher, and a diamond-studded seven.

I left for Peridotia—a short walk—with my duffel bag and my new piece of jewelry. I always considered The Boss to be somewhat of a father figure in my life—never really knowing my real dad—but after the way he treated me the past few hours, I didn't even want to tell him good-bye.

The train station in Peridotia was uncomfortably crowded and the mixed scents of sweat, funnel cake stands, and smoke made their home in my nostrils. A few people stopped me to ask if I was the Champion, and I replied yes. I was thankful that no one mentioned me getting fired. 'Just get through this as quickly as possible and you'll have your title back before anyone even finds out that you lost it,' I reassured myself.

I heard the number of my train announced over the speakers so I gathered my belongings and headed for the departure gate. Flashing my ticket to the conductor, I shimmied my way onboard the locomotive and found an empty seat near the back. Sliding close to the window and placing my bags in the seat so that no one could sit next to me, I took out my PDA and sent an e-mail to Clark saying, "I'm on the train, about to leave."

He replied a few minutes later with a smiley face that made me smile too.

I relaxed into my seat and started playing a game of Sushi Cat while the train chugged uneventfully down the tracks. I subconsciously thought about when I was still a beginning trainer, traveling the Felora Region with my older brother Samuel.

I was born in a region called Hoenn to a single mother. I heard someone say once that a woman becomes a mother when she gets pregnant and a man becomes a father when he sees his baby. The man whose name is on my birth certificate never became a father. Since I considered myself dadless, Samuel tried to fill that role for me, reading me bedtime stories while mom was away at her job. Despite working from six a.m. to midnight every day, my mom barely made enough money for us to keep our humble little shack.

After we lost her to Leukemia, Samuel and I went to go stay with our Great Aunt Beatrice in Amethystine, a small town in Felora. We took a train there, which could be why I was thinking about all this now. My brother and I both took up Pokémon training, but it seemed to come more naturally to me, even though he was three years my senior. It never bothered him that I was better than he was, he would just smile at me with his compassionate grin and say, "Good job, Nics."

Thinking about Samuel made my heart ache, so I tried to banish these thoughts and focus on my game. I was two points away from beating my previous high score with one cat remaining when the train came to an abrupt halt, sending my cat flying to its furry death. Game over.

"Attention everyone," the conductor announced over the speakers inside the train, "we're experiencing some technical difficulties, but your regularly scheduled trip will resume shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience."

'Great,' I groaned to myself. I heard people chattering all around me.

"Someone should go check it out and see what's up," one boy said.

"No way, man, it could be dangerous," another said.

"I hope they hurry up," one girl complained. "I have things to do, you know?"

I laid my head back against the leather seat and closed my eyes. 'Just block them out, Nicole.'

But that was before the scream.

Not knowing why, I jumped from my seat, grabbed my bag, and took off down the isle of the train. I saw the worried expressions of the passengers I passed by and tried to send them a secure vibe. The faint sound of arcing electricity entered my ears the closer I got to the front. I opened the door connecting the passenger car and engine cabin to see the source of the noise.

The train's conductor and engineer were cowering on the floor in fear, tied up with what looked like silky thread, as a large yellow and blue spider-like creature was shocking the engine controls, a wave of electricity surging from its mandibles. I stopped mid-step at the display. The person controlling the creature was a girl who looked around my age dressed as a harlequin. She turned her head to look at me and the pink balls of fluff on the tips of her jester hat bobbled like a rabbit's tail.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

She simply stared at me with her pale eyes. She raised a hand at the Pokémon and it stopped its assault. "Leave now if you wish not to get hurt," she said in a grave tone.

I shook my head and some of my hair fell in my face. "No. Set the conductor and the engineer free and remove yourself from this train. At once."

Again she stared at me with her seemingly unblinking eyes. "Galvantula," she said, and the Pokémon spun around to face me. "Electroweb."

The spider rubbed its mandibles together which seemed to create an electric current before it spat out a yellow tinted web in my direction. I gasped as the sticky net made contact with my skin and slammed me against the wall of the engine room. I tried my best to wiggle free, but the web was too strong. A powerful volt surged through the web and zapped my body, causing me to cry out.

But still the girl's emotion didn't change. She and her Pokémon turned back to engine and began shocking it again. I looked down to see my duffel bag was still slung across my shoulder. Squirming around like an inchworm until I was able to reach inside my bag, I grabbed a Poké Ball and threw it, a smirk flashing across my jaw.

"Night Slash!" I yelled as Absol's feet hit the train floor. He lunged in my direction, slinging his razor sharp horn, and sliced right through the web. The thread fell to the floor and withered away into nothing more than a memory. The harlequin turned back to look at me with her emotionless eyes.

"You're a trainer," she said in a monotone that reminded me of Heather's, only more sinister.

'I'm more than that," I thought. "Absol, use Razor Wind!" The Disaster Pokémon tossed its head in a sweeping motion, sending a slicing gale at the Galvantula. Toppling over from the blistering tempest, Galvantula shot Absol an evil eye.

"Signal Beam," the girl said and the creature rubbed its mandibles together again. Pointing his claws at Absol, Galvantula cast out a luminescent ray that sped her way.

I cringed, remembering that bug was super effective against dark. "Absol, use Swords Dance," I commanded. Her horn radiating a violet aura, Absol slung her head downward, shattering Galvantula's attack in half. "And use Night Slash!" She lunged and slashed at Galvantula, the force of the attack so great that the floor around the spider cracked.

Absol hopped back and stood in front of me as Galvantula didn't stir; he was knocked out. I smirked and turned to the girl, who was already staring at me intently. She took out her Poké Ball and sucked Galvantula into it before returning it to her pocket. "You're strong," she said, walking past me and out the door.

I told Absol to free the two men and followed the girl out the door. She calmly walked down the isle of the passenger car, opened the exit door, and hopped off. I stared at her, wondering how she could simply act like nothing happened.

After retrieving Absol, I made my way back to my seat. Everyone applauded as I walked and I couldn't help but smile. I actually felt like I was Champion again. I regained my seat and the train started chugging again without issue.

However, as I placed myself on the seat, I saw the harlequin girl send out another Pokémon—one that looked like a sword-equipped bandit—and snap the railroad behind the train. I thought I saw her make eye contact with me through the window, but it must have just been my imagination.

**HEY I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED THAT! PLEASE COMMENT AND MESSAGE ME AND WHATNOT! I WANNA HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS! THANKS, HAVE A JORDANNYY DAY!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Cotton

Much to my surprise, the train wasn't actually going to _stop_ in Garne Town; instead, it would take a sharp curve outside the gates to go to Rubywood, slowing down enough for me to jump off. As the white picket fence surrounding the small town came into view, I grabbed my belongings and headed for the door to exit the passenger car. With wind in my face and passion in my heart, I leapt from the car, waving good-bye to all the civilians onboard.

My feet slammed hard against the ground and I nearly lost my balance, but somehow I managed to stay upright. After the train passed, I calmly sashayed into Garne Town, not really sure where I should go.

I knew it was a quaint little town, but I had no idea _how_ quaint. I counted six houses, one being a large laboratory, and a small pond containing a few lily pads and dragonflies. I saw an older looking woman hanging clothes on a wire and nostalgia stabbed my heart, remembering having done the same thing as I child.

"Pardon me," I called out as I approached her, smoothing down my ruffled white blouse.

Turning around and welcoming me with a warm smile, the lady said, "Hello, dear, how are you?"

"Well." I stood two feet from her and could see deep wrinkles decorating her pale cheeks. "Is that Professor Maple's laboratory?" I asked, pointing at the large, steel-walled building.

She nodded, but it wasn't a confirming nod; it was more of a nod of sympathy. The kind of nods you see people give at funerals. "Yes, it is. I sure wish she'd turn up soon. She was such a nice lady."

"Yes, I feel the same," I said. Seeing her wipe the underside of her eye, I walked away, not wanted to console her when she started bawling. In her two years as head of all Pokémon research, Professor Maple never received a negative remark from anyone. Everyone seemed to love her. Not only was she intelligent, but she was kind, caring, and beautiful. That's why the whole region was so torn by her disappearance.

Pushing open the swinging doors of the laboratory, I felt an entirely different atmosphere wash over me. Outside everything seemed so quiet and simple; but in this building, it was like someone put a bunch of wind-up mice into a cardboard box, just to watch them run around and bump into each other. A beehive cannot survive for very long without its queen.

Tapping people on their shoulders, desperate to get their attention, I was ignored. I looked at the machines in the building, all bulky and wired, and read the writings and formulas scribbled on variously placed white boards, attempting to make sense of at least some of it. But to no avail.

Finally, I felt someone tap on my shoulder and I turned around to see a pair of big chartreuse eyes—their size and color only enhanced by a pair of thick glasses in front of them—locked on mine. "Can I help you?" the man asked with a soothing voice.

I took a deep breath as the man's voice nestled cozily in my ears. It was the kind of voice you could listen to all day and never grow tired of it. With a shake of my head, I returned to my senses. "Possibly," I said. "I was led to believe that I am expected to guide a trainer through the region. Are you aware of such a thing?"

With a tight smile, he said, "You must be Nicole. Right this way." He walked past me and through the laboratory, guiding me with his glove-encased hands. Twisting the knob on a door in the back of the lab and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the man said, "Nicole Young, meet Cotton Rhodes."

There was a teenage boy with white hair sitting silently at a small round table inside the room. Rather than smiling at his crotch, I assumed the boy was playing on his PDA under the table. He looked up, his eyes skirting past mine, and a broad smile expanded on his face. "Nicole Young? Is it really you?" He rose to his feet, pushing the chair he was sitting in behind him. "They told me you were coming, but I didn't believe them! Ohemgee, it's really you!"

I cocked an inquisitive eyebrow as the lad started spazzing out in front of me. Cupping his hands over his mouth, he did some kind of shuffling dance with his feet. Trying my best to be friendly, I extended my hand. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Rhodes," I said. After a slight hesitation, he shook my hand violently to the point where I thought it might fall off.

"Please, call me Cotton," he said, and released my head. "Sorry, I know I'm being a total spazz right now, it's just that…" He trailed off and skipped back to the table where he retrieved his backpack. Instead of slinging it across his shoulders, he unzipped it and pulled out a notebook decorated with stickers.

He flipped through the pages, stopped at one point, and smiled. "I'm your biggest fan," he said, handing me the book. As my eyes peered at the page on which he had stopped, I felt my cheeks redden with embarrassment. It was a mosaic of pictures of me, though I had no clue where he got them from. Some I could tell were from tournaments posters or magazines, but there were few bikini pictures that gave me an unsettled feeling.

"It's not just you, though," he said. "The entire Elite Four. I love all you guys! Feel free to look through that." Against all greater judgment, I turned the page and was greeted by pictures of Clark. Seeing his familiar face settled me inside. At the top of the page was inscribed 'Clark Waterbridge, the Raging River.'

The next page was labeled 'Heather Breezy, the Beautiful Whisper.' I wasn't surprised to see bland pictures of her, no bikinis or anything. The next page, 'Sampson Current, the Unregulated Volt,' was littered with his pictures and his famous expressions. Sampson was probably the most sociable member of the Elite Four and didn't mind striking up a conversation with anyone. 'Clover Grove, the Enchanted Rose,' filled the top of the next page, and beneath it where pictures of her and an assortment of flowers.

I flipped to the next page and was thankful to see no more pictures; only a few paragraphs of scribbling. Cotton extended his hand to reclaim his notebook, but something caught my eye. My name. "What's this?" I said. I began reading and my cheeks flushed to a flaming crimson that was matched only by my hair.

"N-No!" Cotton pleaded. "Don't read that!" He snatched the notebook away from me, but it was too late; I already knew what kind of story it was.

I stared at him, hoping he saw the fury in my eyes. "You little pervert." I swung my arm at him, clipped his jaw, sending him tumbling backwards. I heard the door close and turned to see the man with the soothing voice was gone. I looked back to Cotton to see him rubbing his chin.

"Ouch that hurt," he complained.

"Good," I said and grabbed the doorknob.

"Wait!" I turned, my lips pressed together into a tight line. "You can't go, you have to guide me through the region."

Flipping my head to one side so my braid would fall off my shoulder, I said, "Why should I? Grace me with one viable reason that I should."

He scratched his head and bit his bottom lip. "I, umm…" he stammered. With a shake of my head, I twisted the doorknob and opened the door to leave. "I can help you get your job back!"

I stopped dead in my tracks and my eyes widened. Spinning on my heels to face him, I closed the door. "What?"

"Yeah, I heard you got laid off for losing that battle. Terrible." He shook his head like he had been there and watched it himself. "But I can put in good word for you with your boss if you be my guide. You could have your job back in no time." He smiled with a slight tinge of arrogance. "You need me."

I hated the fact that this little boy was right. I needed him. If I could just do this task—no matter how trivial or far below me it was—I would become Champion again. "Fine, I accept," I said. He clapped his hands and smiled joyfully. "On three conditions."

His shoulders drooping, Cotton said, "What are they are?"

Very studious-like, I began listing the conditions, placing a new finger on palm as I said them. "One, don't ever touch me or anything that belongs to me." He nodded. "Two, don't inform anyone about me getting fired." He nodded again. "And three, dispose of that story. At once."

With a reluctant groan, Cotton tore the pages of the story out of his notebook, balled them up, and tossed them into a nearby trashcan. "Can we go now?"

"Of course, right after I speak to your parents," I said.

He rolled his eyes, slung his backpack over his shoulders, and walked out the door. "Yeah, my mom should be home."

"And your father?"

I could tell by his cringe that I shouldn't have asked that question. "We lost him a few years ago," he explained.

"Oh," I said. "My apologies, I wasn't aware."

"No, it's fine," he said with a forced smile and kept walking.

The small home next door to the laboratory was the house that Cotton informed me was his. While the outside seemed fairly pedestrian, the inside was decorated with paisley wallpaper and velvet carpet. An adorable Skitty greeted us upon entering and I couldn't resist myself from petting it. "Yeah, that's my mom's," he said.

"Do you possess any Pokémon yet?" I asked, rising back up from the floor after petting the Pokémon's pink fur.

Cotton opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted. "Oh, are you the one Cotton was waiting for?" a woman asked as she walked through the doorway from another room, wiping her hands off with a white towel.

I smiled and extended a hand. "Yes, I'm Nicole Young."

The woman shook my hand and said, "I knew I recognized you! You're that Pokemon Champion; Cotton has posters of you all over his room. It's nice to meet you. I'm Angela, Cotton's mom." Her face was young—devoid of any wrinkles or old spots—but her brown hair was starting to gray, so I had trouble guessing her age. "Cotton was so excited when he found out you were coming. I used to be quite the trainer in my day, but I suspect I'm a bit rusty by now." She laughed, so I found it appropriate that I should laugh as well.

"Well, I'm looking forward to adventuring with your son," I lied. "Don't worry, I'll take exceptional care of him."

"You better," she joked, laughing again.

I turned to Cotton, who was looking across the room, away from us. "Do you wish to retrieve anything?"

He shook his head and patted his backpack. "I've already got everything."

Turning back to Angela, I said, "Well, I suppose we'll be leaving now."

Shaking my hand again, Angela beamed a wide grin. "Alright, take care now!" She turned to her son with a worried look on her face. "Oh, yeah. Cotton, I nearly forgot. Briar came by, he was looking for you.

"Briar?" Cotton asked, spitting out the name like it was a foul taste in his mouth. "What does he want?"

"It's hard to tell with him," Angela said, shaking her head. "Well, have fun. Be careful."

We left the house and started off down the trail leading out of Garne Town, our sights set on the next destination: Rubywood.

"Who is Briar, a friend of yours?" I asked as we were walking.

He scoffed and dug his hands into his pockets. "Not hardly. He claims that he's my 'rival' or something like that. His dad was friends with my dad so he thinks we should be friends, but I can't stand him."

I suddenly pitied this kid I had never even met. "Why not?"

"He's just annoying, always claiming to be my rival and making lame jokes."

"Oh," I said, unsure of what else to say. "Well, sometimes we life, we must learn to grant people second chances." I frowned in disgust at my own cliché and corniness. Hoping to diverge from the subject, I asked him the question he had neglected to answer from earlier. "What Pokémon do you possess?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but was once again cut off. "Cotton Zachariah Rhodes!" a loud voice called from behind us. We turned around to see a boy with wavy brown hair and tan skin trailing in our direction.

"Oh, Lord," Cotton groaned. "It's Briar."

The physical differences between these two boys were astonishing. Despite being nearly the same height, Cotton was rather thin and petite, while Briar looked like a bodybuilder-in-training. This was only amplified by the fact that he was wearing skin tight Under Armour that showed every defined wrinkle on his body. His perfectly wavy hair looked like something out of a magazine, while the snowy rat nest perched atop Cotton's head could very well have been the home to an assortment of critters. Cotton's cobalt eyes rivaled the color of sapphire, while the pale yellow tint of Briar's eyes could've easily passed for topaz.

"You didn't think you could just skip town without giving your rival one last battle, did you?" Briar asked, placing his hand on his hip and cocking his head to the side.

"Briar," Cotton began, "I'm busy right now. We're about to go on a journey. Can't this wait 'til another time?"

Turning in my direction and looking me up and down, Briar rubbed his chin—which I just noticed was stubbly with short hairs. "Who is this?"

I opened to mouth to answer, but found Cotton doing so for me. "This is my girlfriend, Nicole."

Shooting a glare in his direction, I punched Cotton's shoulder and he groaned. "We're not even friends." I crossed my arms over my chest and tossed my head in the opposite direction of the boys, staring into the forest on the side of the path.

Briar laughed and said, "Well, girlfriend or not, I'm not letting you leave without battling me first."

"Fine," Cotton said with a smirk. "This'll give me a chance to show off my skills to Nicole."

"Yeah," Briar replied, taking a few steps back, "you're very skilled at losing." Once there were several yards of distance between them, the two boys dug in their pockets for their Poké Balls. "Go, Castform!" The small Pokémon skated onto the field before hopping joyfully into the air.

Cotton, pulling the Poké Ball out of his pocket, kissed it and threw it into the air. "Eevee!" he yelled, and the cat-like Pokémon came spiraling out. He clumsily landed on his forehead, but quickly regained his equanimity, primed for battle.

Both of the trainers looked to me, as if waiting for me to do something. At first I didn't know what, then it hit me. "Oh, commence battle!" I shouted. 'No telling who will win this.'

"Eevee, use Bite!" Cotton bellowed. Lunging at the small Pokémon with mouth agape, Eevee growled menacingly.

"Castform," Briar began, "Eevee looks a little thirsty. Why don't you give him a taste of your Water Gun?" Catform nodded with a devious smile on his face and spat out a stream of water. The aqueous attack hit its mark—Eevee's mouth—sending the Pokémon tumbling to the ground. "Now why don't you dry him off with a little Ember?" A small fire shot from Castform's mouth, burning Eevee's brown fur to an ashy color.

I could see Cotton gritting his teeth together as he gave his next command. "Eevee, use Sand Attack!" The Evolution Pokémon retaliated to the flaming assault by sweeping its bushy tail in the dirt and sending a cloud of dust flying into Castform's face, sending the tiny Pokémon into a coughing fit. "Now use Rollout while it's distracted!" Eevee leapt into the air, rolled its body up into a tight ball, and ricocheted in Castform's direction upon bouncing off the ground.

Castform cried out as Eevee slammed into it and was sent hurtling backwards, tumbling in the dirt. "Castform, Eevee needs to chill out!" After regaining his poise, Castform breathed out an icy mist—Powdered Snow—in Eevee's direction.

"Eevee," Cotton said, a smirk briefly passing across his jaw, "use Nature Power." I furrowed my eyebrows as the command rolled off his tongue. 'Nature Power?' I wondered. 'That's a peculiar move for an Eevee to know.'

Amidst the chilly haze, Eevee's body began to shimmer and sparkle. I thought it was my imagination at first, but his legs and ears began to lengthen. His bushy tail narrowed before diverging into a diamond shape, and long, similarly shaped appendages grew from its head. After it finished morphing, Eevee's body stopped shimmering and took on a cyan shade with several darker blue spots scattered on it. Briar gasped, his lower lip quivering. "No way," he managed to stammer out.

"Glaceon," Cotton declared and pointed at Castform, "use Ice Shard!" Glaceon's fur slowly began to rise and crystallize like tiny needles as he opened his mouth and sucked in a deep breath. Exhaling, crystal shards shot from Glaceon's mouth like speeding bullets towards Castform. While some landed hits and others simply smashed into the ground, they all shattered upon impact, sending smaller shards of azure ice in every direction.

Castform fell back in defeat and Briar returned him to his home in the Poké Ball. "Okay, you totally cheated," he said as Glaceon morphed back into Eevee.

Watching as Cotton called Eevee back into its Poké Ball, I pondered the validity of Briar's statement. Not only had Eevee evolved mid-battle, but it had somehow found a way to unevolve afterward. I remembered Cotton telling Eevee to use Nature Power just before it occurred and Eevee was surrounded by snow, leading me to believe that his evolution into Glaceon—an ice type—wasn't pure chance.

"Don't be a sore loser, Briar," Cotton said, returning the ball to his pocket. "Just admit your loss and go home." Grumbling, Briar spun on his heels and walked away.

I was beginning to think this wasn't just going to be another adventure.

**A NEW CHAPTER! AND I ADDED SOME NEW CHARACTERS AS WELL! PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK (ESPECIALLY ABOUT EEVEE'S PECULIAR ABILITY) I LOVE FEEDBACK.**** THANKS!  
HAVE A JORDANNYY DAY!(:  
**


	4. Chapter 4 - Singing in the Shower

The greenery on either side of the path gradually began to converge into one unit. Trees, while usually being individualistic creations, can morph together into one unified mass which we humans have dubbed as a forest. They give a home to countless Pokémon, provide us with necessary oxygen, and bloom beautiful plant life that we can use to decorate our artificial lifestyles. Trees are wonderful things; why would anyone want to destroy them?

Expecting Cotton to voluntarily explain what Eevee had done in the preceding battle, I kept silent as we ventured for Rubywood. After he did the same, it seemed like I would have to question him myself. "What did you do?" I asked.

"Excuse me?"

"In the battle," I clarified. "How was your Eevee capable of evolving and unevolving?"

With a smug grin, Cotton raked a hand through his snowy locks. "It's just a little trick he knows," he replied.

"That's hardly enough," I said with slight annoyance. "I asked _how_. I want to know."

"Fine, but this is only prolonging our journey." With a sigh, Cotton began his story. "Eevee isn't a pure breed. His mom was an Eevee, but his dad was a Ditto. All Eevee have unstable genetic make-up anyway—being able to evolve into many different types and forms—but with the genes of a Ditto flowing through his system, that fact is greatly enhanced."

My nose twitched with a tingly sensation so I scratched it vigorously as he continued. "While my Eevee can't transform into any Pokémon like a Ditto can, it can instantly morph into one of its evolutionary forms."

"Can he turn into any one he chooses?" I asked.

Cotton shook his head. "No, not quite. I've found that there are several factors that influence that, the main one being surroundings. It's usually directly correlated with the habitat that Eevee is in at the moment. That's why I taught him Nature Power; so he could control it easier."

"So," I began, "why does he transform back into Eevee?"

"Defying the laws of nature takes a lot out of him," Cotton remarked with a smirk. "The transformation usually doesn't last very long."

I nodded, absorbing all the newly obtained knowledge. Nose still burning, I deemed it to be allergies, which wasn't surprising, considering the verdant location. "You're quite knowledgeable on this subject," I complimented him.

"Well, I should be," he said. "My dad was the one who studied my Eevee. He taught me everything about it."

Careening my neck to look his way, I knitted my eyebrows together. "Your father?"

Cotton suddenly became very interested with his cuticles and hangnails. "Yeah. My dad and Briar's dad were both researchers on the project, but…" he trailed off and I thought I saw the shimmer of a tear in his eye. "They were both killed in P.L. Massacre."

Two years ago, before Professor Maple came to Felora, there was a brutal massacre at the Pokémon Lab in Garne Town. Several armed criminals stormed in and stole many of the Pokémon being kept inside, firing at anyone who got in their way. The culprits were never found, the stolen Pokémon were never recovered, and several lives were lost. Apparently, Cotton's and Briar's dads were among the victims.

"I'm sorry," I said despondently.

The rest of the trip to Rubywood was fairly uneventful. I explained to Cotton that we would go from town to town, battling the Gym Leaders and winning badges, before heading to the Pokémon League. My original plan—while slightly devious—was to head on a train back to Peridotia and flash the gym badges that _I_ had earned years ago to The Boss, claiming they were Cotton's. But after that harlequin girl snapped the train tracks, I doubted such a thing was possible.

"By the way, who's the gym leader in Rubywood?" Cotton asked.

"Actually, there isn't one," I corrected. "The first gym leader, Burny, resides in Diamonide. But it is required to bypass Rubywood whilst heading in that direction." Cotton nodded subtly and stared at the ground as he walked. I turned my head upward and gazed at the melting sky peaking through gaps in the treetops. "I assumed you knew everything there was to know about the gym leaders, since you're such a dedicated fan of the Elite Four and Champion."

Cotton looked back in my direction and rolled his eyes. "I'm not _that_ much of a fanboy. I mainly just think that _you're_ really interesting…"

"Me?"

He nodded. "The way you started off with nothing, but because of your hard work, perseverance, and diligence, you became the strongest trainer in the whole region! You're really inspiring, you know."

I smiled at his words, but it quickly faded away. "_Was_ the strongest trainer."

"In my book," he began, squeezing my shoulder, "you still are."

With smiles on our faces, we walked into Rubywood, the sparkling city of water. The lush greenery surrounding the city was thanks to a bountiful supply of freshwater that came from an underground spring. There were sprinklers circumscribing the town that would automatically activate each night and water the plants while everyone was asleep.

There was a large stone fountain in the center of the city with a statue of a Seadra on top. The Pokémon's snout was pointed upward and a cascade of clear water was incessantly gushing out from it. When it rained, any water that drizzled into the fountain would be sent through a purification system below it, deposited in the underground spring, and later sucked back up to the surface in order to fulfill one of the many available purposes. It was a beautiful cycle.

We made our way to the inn, a two story building that was located directly beside the lovely Seadra fountain. With floral wallpaper, floor tile, paintings, vases, and other decorations, the inside of the building gave off the sensation of an efflorescent spring. Not only that, but a florid aroma floated through the air, mixing delicately with the scent of freshly baked apple pies.

"May I help you?" the innkeeper—a petite young girl with a small voice—asked. I assumed she was the daughter of the owners, filling in where they needed her for extra pay.

"Yes," I said. "We would like two rooms for one night, please."

She looked under the counter and grimaced. "Oh, I'm so sorry, ma'am, but we only have one room left. It's been awful busy lately with the Flower Festival coming up."

I puckered my lips and said, "There is only one remaining?"

She nodded. "Oh, but it's a double room so there's two beds."

"Sounds great," Cotton chimed in, grinning smugly. "We wouldn't mind if there was only one bed, now would we, dear?"

Stomping down hard on his toes with my heel, I heard Cotton choke down a cry. "We'll accept it," I told the girl. She handed me the key, I paid her, and we were off in search of Room 21.

Sure enough, there were two large beds in the room, but not much else. A small television sleeping on a table in the corner, a dresser with four drawers, and a connecting bathroom were the only other noticeable features.

We dropped our belongings and I checked my PDA for the time: nearly nine-o-clock. "I'm going to take a quick shower," I told Cotton. "Might you round us up some dinner?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course!" he replied, bouncing out the door. I rolled my eyes and proceeded into the washroom, feeling I deserved a nice, hot, relaxing shower.

After undressing and unraveling my scarlet braid, I stepped into the tub. Turning the water on and finding the appropriate temperature, I found myself humming a familiar tune. I sniffed the shampoo and smiled: mint. Clark's face nudged its way into my mind, giving me an easy feeling inside. I continued to smell the shampoo, longing for this feeling to last forever.

"Will you recognize me," I found myself singing, "in those flashing lights? I try to keep my heartbeat, but I can't get it right." My head hung, water traveling down my cheeks, hair falling in my face. "Will you recognize me when I'm lying on my back? There's something gone inside me, and I can't get it back."

I lifted my head up and my tears mixed with the drops of water raining down on me. "Oh, heaven," I continued. "Oh, heaven. I wake with good intentions. But the day, it always lasts too long. Then I'm gone."

Rubbing my hands together to lather the shampoo, I combed my fingers through my hair, twisting them up once I reached the tips. "Will you recognize me when I'm stealing from the poor? You're not going to like me, I'm nothing like before.

"Will you recognize me when I lose another friend?" I sang, rubbing my body down with a sweet-scented bar of soap. "Will you learn to leave me, or give me or one more try again?

"Oh, heaven. Oh, heaven. I wake with good intentions." As I got gradually louder, I could hear my voice echoing through the bathroom, almost sounding like it was a duet. "But the day, it always lasts too long. Then I'm gone, oh, heaven. Oh, heaven. I wake with good intentions. But the day, it always lasts too long. Then I'm gone."

A gasp escaped my lips as my echo's voice cracked on the last note. 'It wasn't me,' I realized. I poked my head out of the shower to see Cotton sitting on the sink's countertop with his eyes closed, bopping his head like it was normal to be in the same room as someone who was showering. "Cotton!" I screamed and his eyes popped open. "Get out!"

"Oh, sorry!" he stammered, hopping off the counter and making a break for the door, nearly falling on the way out. Scoffing, I hurried to finish my shower before any further privacy invasions could transpire. I stepped out of the bathtub, dried my dripping body with a towel that had the words "Enjoy your stay" embroidered on it, and slid into a pair of loose-fitting jogging pants and navy blue tank.

Wrapping a separate towel around my hair and tossing it over my back to dry, I snaked my feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers and headed out of the bathroom. Cotton was laying on one of the beds with a box of a half-eaten pizza in front of him. Furrowing my eyebrows, I stomped over to the edge of the bed and glared at him. "What was your purpose for being in there?"

His mouth full, he slid the pizza box in my direction. Hoping to seem as angry as humanly possible, I snatched a slice from the box and gnashed a bite off. "Sorry about that," he apologized after swallowing. "It's just that I heard you singing and I liked the song so I sort of invited myself in."

"Oh, I'm quite sure," I said, my voice overflowing with sarcasm. "Are you certain it had nothing to do with the fact that I was nude?"

He shot a look my way and lifted his eyebrows innocently. "The thought never crossed my mind." I groaned, stole another slice of pizza, and trampled over to my bed. "Just so you know, I think you have a beautiful singing voice." I flipped my head back to see him smiling wide at me.

Not being able to contain the blushing building in my cheeks, I turned away from him. "Thank you."

Plopping down on the bed and feeling the soft mattress envelop me, I grabbed the remote and turned the television on. Flipping through the channels, I glanced over at Cotton to see him playing with his PDA. I stopped on some news network since there was nothing else to watch and nibbled on my pizza.

"Breaking news," the anchorman declared. "A young girl by the name of Annalisa Tomlinson has apparently vanished from her home in Sapphire City." I focused my eyes on the screen, hearing the familiarity of the name, and gasped when I saw her picture. It was the girl who had defeated me in the tournament, the girl with the twilight hair and piercing green eyes. She went missing the day after she defeated the Champion? Somehow, I didn't believe that was pure coincidence.

The anchorman continued, "Many people believe that Miss Tomlinson's disappearance could be related to the disappearance of Professor Maple Goldburrow. The Felora Police Department is looking into both cases, but has yet to find any clues. We'll keep you updated." The network went on to talk about other stories, including the Rubywood Flower Festival.

I looked at the screen as the newscasters continued to talk, but I wasn't really watching. All I could think about was Annalisa's disappearance. It had to be related to the tournament. 'Perhaps it had something to do with that unknown Pokémon,' I wondered. And that made me think about the harlequin girl on the train. She had a Pokémon I had never seen before as well.

'What is going on?' I thought as I switched the television off. Glancing over at Cotton, I saw that he was soundly asleep, his tongue hanging out of his mouth like a Lickitung. With a soft giggle, I rose to my feet and covered him up with the quilted blanket. I switched off the lamp and laid back down on bad, swaddling up in several layers of covers, feeling much like a cozy cocoon.

Sleep didn't come easily, though—too many thoughts swirled around inside of my head like cooking ingredients in a bowl, mixing together and even spawning new ideas. I thought of Cotton and his amazingly gifted Eevee, of my friends back at the Pokémon League, of the recent disappearances, of singing in the shower, but mostly I thought of Clark. His face was the last image on my mind before I finally succumbed to the sleep begging to manifest inside of me.

Perhaps that's why I awoke with a smile on my face.

**So, no action in this chapter (it was actually pretty lovey-dovey xD) but it did clear some things up! And evoked new mysteries! Mwahahaha! Please comment, message me, give me feedback on this! I care what you people think! By the way, the song Nicole sings is called Heaven by Emeli Sande. Until next time, have a Jordannyy day!(:**


	5. Chapter 5 - Flash Fire

Morning came with the sweet scent of syrup, and I looked beside me to see a plate stacked with golden pancakes resting on the bedside table. Seeing his messy and lonely, I noticed Cotton's absence. Next to the pancakes was a note made from a folded up leaf of paper. Unfolding it, I read the words aloud.

_Dear Nicole,_

_Sorry about last night. I felt bad about what happened so I bought you some pancakes from the bakery downstairs. You were sleeping so peacefully and I didn't want to disturb you, but I stepped out for a minute. Be back soon._

_Your biggest fan,_

_Cotton_

I rolled my eyes and sat the note back down before digging into the breakfast. I was surprising by how good it tasted and quickly devoured the whole thing. Rising to my feet, I ambled to the dresser, retrieving a cream-colored blouse that ruffled at the wrists and a navy blue skirt that I knew wouldn't pass my knees, before stripping down in the middle of the room.

I slid off my jogging pants and tossed them onto my bed before sliding my tank top over my shoulders and head. In the few blind seconds of removing my shirt, I heard the door open and close, a few hasty footsteps, and then a sharp inhale. Quickly yanking the shirt off, I looked to see Cotton standing next to the bed, staring at me, his cheeks reddening.

My heart rate and breathing began to quicken. "Turn around, you little pervert!" I yelled, covering myself with my arms. He spun around and faced the door as I let out a groan. Slipping my legs into the skirt and my arms into the blouse, I felt my heart beginning to regain its normal pace. "Where have you been?"

"Just around," he replied, scratching his arm. "Looking at the preparations for the Flower Festival. Everything is so lively."

"I can imagine so." I finished dressing and told him it was safe to turn around. "Well, we truly should be departing soon. Diamonide isn't far, but I would prefer for to arrive there prior to the gym's closing time.

With a confirming nod, Cotton and I gathered up our belongings and prepared to leave the inn. "By the way, thanks for the pancakes," I said on the way out.

The streets of Rubywood were littered with people and Pokémon setting up decorations and preparing for the Flower Festival. A man sent a Pidgeotto up into the air to hang streamers from the telephone poles and along the rooftops. An adorable team of Plusle, Minun, Togepi, Cleffa, and Smoochum practiced a little dance routine on a small stage near the fountain. Many women and children decorated the town with a variety of flora, giving the same dainty aroma that danced in the inn the night before.

As we passed through the gates leading out of Rubywood, a whole new air smacked us in the face. The floral scents faded, the laughter of children died out, and the entire easy-going sensation left, replaced with the usual feeling of the disturbed and troubled world.

"Go, Gardevoir," I said, summoning the humanoid Pokémon out onto the route we were standing on. Unfurling her arms from their intertwinement, she opened her red eyes and stared deeply at me.

'Good afternoon, mistress,' she transmitted into my mind, her voice light and airy. 'Are you enjoying the wonderful weather?' Sheets of rain drizzled from the gloomy sky, soaking us all with uncomfortable dampness.

Cotton stood with his arms folded over his chest and a sour expression painted on his face. "Apparently not," I replied. I noticed Cotton cock his eyebrow at my reply.

'But, mistress,' she began, 'it's so lovely.' She held out her arms and looked up to the sky, basking in the dreary precipitation.

With a roll of my eyes, I said, "Well, is it possible for you to do something about it for us?"

Gardevoir clasped her hands together and closed her eyes in order to concentrate. Her body began to radiate a soft, pink aura, originating at her fingertips and travelling up her slender arms. Slowly spreading her hands apart, Gardevoir opened her eyes, which exuded a brilliant, pink light. A disc of the same hue formed between her small, graceful hands. As she spread her arms wide, the disc grew into a protective barrier that she aviated over our human heads.

"Excellent Light Screen," I complimented, wringing my hair dry. Cotton shook the water from his soaking wet hair like a dog, sending drops flying every which way, defeating the whole purpose of drying off. I smoothed down the hem of my blouse, but not before shooting a leer his way.

We continued the journey to Diamonide in the incessant shower, thankful to have Gardevoir's Light Screen keeping us dry. "Hey, Nicole," Cotton whispered in a hushed voice. "Were you talking to Gardevoir a minute ago?" I nodded. "Was she responding?" Once again, I nodded. "How?"

Tapping a finger against my temple, I replied, "Telepathy. She can speak directly into my thoughts."

"Really?"

'It's true.' Cotton nearly leapt out of his skin when Gardevoir used telepathy on him. I couldn't suppress the chuckle building inside me as he struggled to regain his poise.

We finally arrived in Diamonide to find the streets abandoned, but considered the weather, it made plausible sense. It was a seaside town and the drops of rain rippled upon plopping against the clear surface of the ocean. The shore was darker than its usual sandy color—tinted by the rain—and many of the cement streets were flooded with the deluge of downpour.

The gym—a big brick building with a tin roof—was located near the shoreline and a yellow light emitting from the windows and escaping under the door was the only thing that hinted at life inside. A bronze plate—slightly rusted—that rested beside the door read, _Diamonide Gym, Leader Burny Sears_. I called Gardevoir back into her Poké Ball and gave a nod to Cotton. As we pushed open the gym's doors, a wall of heat and humidity smacked us in the face. A man with flaming orange hair and a furry Growlithe sat around a small fire, gnawing on charred, shish-kabobbed fish.

The man—appearing no older than myself—looked up at us as we walked in, though a pair of dark shades shielded his eyes. Swallowing whatever was in his mouth, he rose to his feet while the canine beside him continued enjoying its meal. A pair of kelp green swimming trunks and muddy sandals were the only clothing adorning his tanned skin. "Let me guess, here to challenge the gym?" he said in a nasally voice.

"Indeed," I said, draping my hand over my partner's shoulder. "This is Cotton, your challenger. I'm just here for support, but my name is Nicole."

"Oh, I know Miss Nicole Young," he said, whipping off his shades to get a better look. "I wasn't a gym leader when you did your challenges, but I sure wish I would've been. It's always been my dream to challenge someone as strong as you."

With a forced chuckle I said, "Well, perhaps another time. We're on a bit of a tight schedule at the moment."

"I'll have my battle one day," he said. Nothing I hadn't heard before. Everyone in Felora wanted to battle me. Aside from Annalisa, I was undefeated. But I still hadn't wrapped my mind around that battle completely yet.

"Well, Cotton, are you ready to-" he began, stopping mid-question to release a booming sneeze. "Sorry, I'm a little under the weather." He laughed. "Literally. I always get sick on rainy days like this. Well, let's get started." He stomped out the fire and walked over to the wall where he pressed a button. The floor began to shake and I took a step back, leaning against the back wall for support. One corner of the room sunk down and filled with water as sand sprayed from the ceiling all over the floor. Cauldrons placed around the inside circumference of the gym that I hadn't noticed until now sparked to life with flames. The entire area had a coastal feel, and even the smell of salt lingered in the air.

Growlithe completed his meal, bone and all, and walked onto the sandy basin. "Go, Gidgit!" Cotton called out, summoning Eevee onto the field.

Furrowing my brows, I asked, "Gidgit?"

"Yeah," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "It's a little nickname I came up with the other day." He turned his attention back to Burny, who was rubbing his tan tummy, and his Growlithe, who had lowered his body to the ground and growled deeply at Eevee.

"Commence battle!" I shouted.

"Growlithe, use Bite," Burny said and his Pokémon took off at Eevee, mouth wide. Eevee leapt back to dodge, but Growlithe still snapped a hold on his leg with his sharp teeth, causing Eevee to yelp in pain.

"Gidgit!" Cotton yelled. "Sand Attack!" Eevee fluffed his tail in the sand, sending a cloud of dust flying in the dog's face. Yelping as the sand stung in his eyes, Growlithe released Eevee's leg and hobbled backwards. "Now use Rollout!" Eevee curled up tightly and speedily rolled Growlithe's way like a soccer ball.

A nasty expression floated past Burny's face like he had just sniffed something foul. "Growlithe, use Incinerate." With a shake of his head, the Puppy Pokémon gaped his mouth open and a slew of flames barreled out. The force of the blaze was powerful enough to stop Eevee in his tracks and send him smashing into the wall behind him, evoking a weak cry from the battered Pokémon.

Eevee weakly rose to his feet. "Gidgit, are you alright?" He nodded.

"Finish him off with another Incinerate!" Burny belted. Another fiery blast discharged from Growlithe's mouth, but Eevee hopped out of the way this time and the flames dissipated upon hitting the wall. Growlithe fired flare after flare, but Eevee swiftly dodged each one. Burny groaned. "Growlithe, use Howl." The Pokémon stopped firing and curled his neck 'til his nose pointed up at the ceiling. He released a spine-tingling wail and I watched as Eevee's legs wobbled from fright. "Now finish him!"

Another flaming beam—seeming slightly larger and faster than the others—sailed in Eevee's direction. Immobilized by fear, the blast smashed into Eevee and sent him spiraling into the wall. With a plop, he collapsed from the wall and into the water below him. After he didn't move, Cotton called out to him, "Gidgit?"

The rippling tides were the only reply he got. Burny stood proudly, basking in his victory. "No, Gidgit! Please, get up!" But there was no reaction. Cotton gasped. "Use Nature Power!"

I wondered what would happen this time. At first, nothing changed; but suddenly, a blast of water surged toward Growlithe. Not expecting the attack, he tumbled helplessly in the sand before turning his attention back to the figure rising out of the water. With sparkling cyan scales, fin-like ears, and a dazzling mermaid tail, Vaporeon emerged through the surface, spitting out another aqueous attack that hit its target spot-on.

Growlithe cried out and struggled to regain himself after the attack, but was only met will another spurt of liquid. He finally gave up trying and collapsed onto the ground in a fuzzy pile. A small red laser struck him, engulfing the small dog's body in a crimson barrier. Vanishing, the Pokémon returned to his Poké Ball, which Burny quickly pocketed and replaced with another. "This isn't over yet," he snarled, pitching the ball onto the field.

The ball spawned a Magby. The red, childish Pokémon looked around the field, almost in a daze, and cast his gaze back at his owner, seeking instruction. "Another fire type?" Cotton asked, cocking his eyebrow. "You just won't learn, will you? Gidgit, use Water Gun!" Vaporeon tossed his head back and sent out a stream of water at Magby.

"Magby," Burny began, "use Thunder Punch." With a nod, Magby leaned back, his foot briefly leaving the ground, winding up an electrically charged fist. As the watery torrent drew dauntingly closer, Magby shifted his weight and sent his fist into the center of the flying river. The water evaporated upon contact and static shockwaves surged through the remaining droplets, dancing around like drunken lightning bugs.

"Dang, he's got Thunder Punch," I heard Cotton mutter under his breath. "Vaporeon, use Aqua Tail!" I was surprised that he was capable of using a higher level move, but surely enough, Vaporeon leapt from the water and shot like a rocket at Magby. He spun midair, tail shining with liquefied power, but was met with another lightning-charged punch.

Vaporeon let out a constricted whine and tumbled to the ground, demanifesting back into an Eevee. "Incinerate!" Burny ordered. Magby leaned his head back and spouted out a flaming beam. Still recovering from the last attack, Eevee had no chance to react and rolled helplessly in the sand as the powerful blast shoved him back.

"Come on, Gidgit, get up!" Cotton yelled. He rose to his feet and shook the sand from his fur. "Good job! Now use Bite!" Eevee dug his heels into the earth before lunging at Magby, mouth agape.

"Use Smokescreen," shouted Burny. After leaning his head back, the Live Coal Pokémon ejected a black bomb from his snout. It smacked Eevee in the cheek, bursting upon impact, evoking a dark cloud of smoke and fog. Eevee coughed amidst the haze and I watched as his silhouette batted its tail in an effort to dissipate it. A single ember shone in the miasma, like a heart burning with desire.

The flame moved quickly and smashed into the underside of Eevee's chin—Fire Punch—sending him sailing upward. "Gidgit!" Eevee opened his eyes and the corners of his mouth turned down. He flipped his tail underneath him and latched onto it before putting his head down into the tip of his tail. As he collided with the ground, he propelled himself at Magby, who didn't have enough time to react and was sent smashing into the wall behind him. "Nice Rollout!"

"Oh, no," Burny said. "Come on Magby, you're still in this!" The child-like Pokémon stood and righted himself before spewing out another voluminous fire blast at Eevee, who nimbly dodged and countered with a vicious bite. He latched onto Magby's hand and yanked, threatening to detach it from the rest of his body as the Pokémon cried out in agony.

Magby looked down at Eevee, his eyes filled with intense burning anger, as the fist encased in Eevee's jaws ignited with heat. I watched as Eevee released from the flame inside of him and Magby's other burning fist smacked into the side of Eevee's head, sending him toppling into the dunes. "Gidgit, use Nature Power!"

With embers still dying in his mouth, Eevee's eyes sparked to life. His body burst into flames that put Magby's Incinerate to shame. Eevee's silhouette plumped with muscle and his mane and tail fluffed into full thickness. As the flames petered out, the newly born Flareon's fur blazed to a rich orange and his eyes scorched into lumps of coal.

"Fight fire with fire," Cotton said, a smirk passing across his face. "Fire Spin!" Flareon sucked in a deep breath, his chest expanding, and exhaled a fiery spiral at Magby.

"Incinerate!" Magby leaned back and discharged a blazing beam from his snout. The spinning spiral encircled the beam and both fire-type moves hit their target, sending dust clouds into the air. After the fog cleared, it was apparent that Magby was growing weary from the battle, but Flareon looked almost rejuvenated. "What? Impossible! Both Pokémon should have been equally damaged!" Burny bellowed.

Cotton smiled proudly at his own quick wits. "If it were any normal Pokémon, that would be true. But Flareon has an ability called Flash Fire that not only negates fire-type moves, but makes him stronger!" Burny gasped from fear. "Now, Flareon, let's try that Fire Spin again!"

With a deep breath, Flareon exhaled a flaming corkscrew. "No! Magby, use Thunder Punch!"

"That's what I was looking for, his weakness," Cotton whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear. "Flareon, use Quick Attack!" The Flame Pokémon ceased its twisting inferno and lunged itself through the spiral at Magby, using Fire Spin's force to give himself an extra boost. As always, Magby had to lean back and charge up the move, giving Flareon just the window of opportunity he needed to slam his head into the Pokémon's torso.

At the force of the attack, Magby choked out a small puff of smoke and flew through the air before skidding into a pile of sand, burying himself. Burny called out to him, but there was no reply; he was knocked out.

And Cotton was victorious.

He made the fact blatantly obvious by doing some form of victory dance that brought me shame to be seen with him. Burny sighed and called Magby back into his Poké Ball. "Well done, Cotton," he complimented. "You beat me."

The fact that Cotton—a starting trainer—defeated a skilled opponent like Burny on his first try made me pucker my lips in deep thought. He might have a future ahead of him, reaching gym leader potential, possibly even Champion level with much training. I stared curiously at him, wondering just _what_ he was actually capable of.

Burny extended his hand, and lying on his palm was a small piece of red metal shaped into a curving flame with a diamond cutout in the center. "Congratulations, Cotton. You've earned the Ember Badge." Without hesitation, Cotton swiped the badge from Burny's hand, whipped out his badge case, and stuck it in the appropriate slot.

"Oh, and another thing," Burny said. He reached into his back pocket, sneezed, and pulled out a disc. "It's TM59, Incinerate. Take it." Cotton retrieved the disc and slid it into the TM case he had stored in his backpack.

"Well, we should be departing now," I said. "We appreciate your time, Burny."

"Please, call me Bernard." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes, grabbing Cotton's wrist to drag him out as he marveled at the badge in its case. "I'm still waiting for that battle, Nicole!" he called as we walked out the door, but not before releasing another loud sneeze.

I turned back and said, "Looking forward to it."

**YAYYYYY NEW CHAPTER! :D WELL, AS ALWAYS, GIVE ME FEEDBACK. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE, DISLIKE, ETC. AND DON'T FORGET TO CONGRATULATE COTTON ON HIS WIN! xD HAVE A JORDANNYY DAY!(:**


	6. Chapter 6 - Bloodstone

By the time we reached Bloodstone Forest, the rained had ceased, but Cotton's gloating had not. He babbled nonstop as we walked, reminiscing about his glorious victory against Burny. Yes, it was an accomplishment, especially for someone as inexperienced as him, but it was hardly deserving of this. My ears ached and my hands had an intense desire to make contact with Cotton's face.

Bloodstone Forest was a patch of dark woodland between Diamonide and Sapphire City, our next gym destination. Thick shrubbery let in minimal light and there were numerous reports of people getting lost in the forest, some never to be found. I couldn't help but wonder if this had been the site of the disappearances of Professor Maple and Annalisa. With a perplexing labyrinth design, Bloodstone Forest could easily have been the perfect location for a kidnapping.

"Hey, Nicole," Cotton began, his hands locked together behind his head, "can I ask you something?"

"Well," I began in a haughty voice, "by asking me if you were allowed to ask me a question, you have already denied me the right to answer and taken the liberty of answering for me, therefore disregarding my thoughts, feelings, and opinions for your own personal gain. But, being the forgiving person that I am, I shall set aside your rude and selfish behavior and grant you right to ask me anything you please."

Cotton stopped in his tracks and studied me for a few moments with his cobalt eyes, not allowing them to blink, afraid he would miss something. "I just wanted to know if you had any candy," he said in a somber tone and continued walking.

I dug in my duffel bag, unaware if I held any candy or not, and managed to scrounge up two peppermints. Placing one of the mints on my tongue, I chased after Cotton and slipped the other in his palm. I savored it: the frosty feel it gave my mouth as if I could breathe snowflakes, the way the juices slightly burned my throat as I swallowed, and the fond memories it evoked of Clark. Eyes closed, I envisioned he was beside me, lacing his fingers in the spaces between mine, staring at me with his nature eyes, and whispering in my ear in a chilly breath that everything would be alright.

If Clark told me that, I would believe it.

Felora wasn't famous for having wild Pokémon—in fact, over eighty-five percent of all Pokémon found here belonged to someone—but I could see the shadows of small figures worming around the forest. Cotton veered his neck in every direction, breathing in his surroundings. Though I was constantly forgetting how virgin he was to all of this, he was always there to remind me with his goofy awkwardness.

A glass-shattering screech reverberated throughout the forest, resounding loud and clear in my ears. Cotton glanced at me for confirmation, his mouth forming a small o, and I nodded. We took off in a sprint toward the noise, hurdling over large roots and ducking under low-hanging branches. All of the possibilities of what it could be rushed through my head in a haze, not giving me enough time to settle and weigh the options. The forest was hot and humid, beads of sweat littered my forehead and exposed chest. The air flowing past me as I ran cooled me off to a pleasing extent, so I longed for the noise's origin to be as far away as possible.

But as I turned a corner, I saw what was creating the wails. A baby Kangaskhan sat on the ground in a patch of dewy grass. Beside her lay a battered and bruised mother Kangaskhan. Her skin was adorned with small cuts and scrapes, but a sinister gash in her chest was what disturbed me most. A thin river of blood trickled out of the wound like a leaky faucet and I didn't see her stir.

Standing a few yards away from the depressing scene was a man, woman, and two unfamiliar Pokémon. As we drew closer, I accidently stepped on a twig, causing the girl to turn. I instantly recognized her: hair like a raven, eyes like glass, skin paler than paper, cheeks like rose petals, and a red and black harlequin outfit to round it all off. It was the girl from the train. The man turned as well and smiled at us. "Oh, do we have _more_ visitors?"

Robed in silver knight's armor, complete with a hilt on his belt, the man approached us. "Who are you?" Cotton asked, his gaze still fixed on the Kangaskhans.

"Who am I?" the man said in a chesty voice. He drew his sword—probably plastic—from its scabbard and struck a supposedly gallant pose. "I am Milotis Andrew Scott the third, but you may call me Miles." He pointed with his sword at the harlequin girl, who was staring blankly at me, bearing into the very fibers of my soul with her emotionless, gray eyes. "This is my partner, Harle. And you are?"

I wasn't sure if I planned on telling him or not, but Harle beat me to it. "This is Nicole Young," her monotonous voice stated, "and Cotton Rhodes."

Miles rotated his head back to look at Harle, his argent hair swishing with the movement. "You know these guys?

She nodded. "Miss Young disrupted plan T.E. and now threatens to disrupt plan B.F. She must be stopped." Her voice was eerily mundane, her pitch never rising or falling, almost sounding robotic.

"So, they're enemies, huh?" Miles inquired, lazily gliding a hand across his silvery goatee. He was amazingly handsome—like supermodel handsome—with excellent bone structure and a toned body, but he seemed rather full of himself.

I cast my gaze back over to the Kangaskhan baby, who had her head resting on her mother's abdomen, tears streaming from both eyes. "Are you two responsible for that?" I spat out.

"Well, yeah," Miles said with a shrug of his shoulders. "We didn't have much of a choice, though. She wouldn't get out of our way, which reminds me…" He trailed off and turned his attention to a leafy, bipedal Pokémon standing a few feet away, its eyes dead bolted to the baby Kangaskhan. "Leavanny, finish off that baby."

Yet the Leavanny—a name I was unfamiliar with—didn't move; it merely stood transfixed with the young Pokémon weeping over its mother's death. "Leavanny!" Miles shouted. "Destroy her!" But the Pokémon didn't seem to hear him at all. "Fine, if you won't obey me, maybe someone else will!" Digging his hands in his pocket, Miles retrieved a Poké Ball and flung it.

"Yeah, Litwick?" he said, almost as if he was unaware what Pokémon it would be until he saw it. "Use Will-o-Wisp!" The candle-like Pokemon tossed its head to one side, causing the violet flame perched atop the tip of the wick to flicker. Small ghostly flares rose up into the air, teetering back and forth before outlining a ring of fire and sailing at the baby Kangaskhan.

Flying leaves intercepted the attack, at least one leaf colliding with each wisp, before they all melted away nothing but a memory. I looked to my right to see Leafeon, with yellow and light green crackly skin, and Cotton with a determined look on his face. "We won't let you get away with this," he said in a voice that sounded too serious to be his. The leaves, I realized, were flakes of Leafeon's razor-sharp tail. I watched in awe as his tail regenerated the lost pieces, readying him for battle.

"I was hoping you'd just surrender, but I can see that's not going to happen." Miles flipped his hair so it all faced the same direction and pointed his sword at Leafoen. "Litwick, use Ember!" Litwick opened his small mouth and a fireball shot out. Leafeon hopped out of the way, but it singed the tip of his ear which smoked and withered. I knew it would heal soon, but it pained me inside to see his fragile body deteriorate in such a way.

I looked back forward to see Harle and her Pokémon—the same bandit-looking one that snapped the train tracks—staring at me unblinkingly. "Do you wish to do battle as well?" she asked.

Shaking my head I said, "How you could be so cruel to that Pokémon? You murdered her right in front of her child's eyes. That is so repulsive and inhumane that it gives me a need to puke."

"She was a nuisance in our endeavors," she replied, as if that was all the reason she needed.

"Cotton's correct, you shall not be exonerated for such behavior," I said, retrieving a Poké Ball from my bag and pitching it out. "Go, Ninetales!" The foxy Pokémon fluffed her nine, elegant tails into the air, giving her an angelic appearance as a golden light haloed around her body. "Use Flamethrower!"

Effortlessly opening her mouth—as if to do nothing more than yawn—Ninetales exhaled an inferno toward Harle's Pokémon, which I assumed was a steel-type from all the blades protruding from his body. More nimble than I had anticipated, the Pokémon sprang into the air above the attack and crossed his arms diagonally in front of his torso. "X-Scissor," Harle commanded, and the Pokémon's elbow blades exuded a light green aura. As he slung his arms down to his sides, an X shaped slice rocketed from the blades and toward Ninetales.

"Ninetales, use Fire Spin!" Unlike Flareon's Fire Spin that creating a blazing spiral, Ninetales' Fire Spin consumed her body in flames that she could manipulate at her whim. The X-Scissor slash disintegrated in the scorching heat radiating from her body before it even made contact. "Now Extremespeed!" Spinning her tails like helicopter blades, Ninetales darted around the area, moving like a blur. Harle's Pokémon touched down on the ground, only to be rammed in the back, pushed down to his knees.

Ninetales returned and stood beside me. "Why are you doing this? Who are you working for?" I interrogated.

"Bisharp," Harle said, ignoring my questions, and the Pokémon rose to his feet, dusting dirt off his shoulder. "Psycho Cut." Bisharp's elbow blades emanated a soft blue aura before he flung his arms outward, sending two azure crescents towards Ninetales. She swiftly dodged the attack, her face as emotionless as Harle's.

"I have no desire to bring you harm," I reasoned with her. "Please, answer me."

"I cannot."

Meanwhile, Cotton's and Miles' Pokémon were still going at it. Litwick shot out a Confuse Ray and Leafeon's eyes swirled around in a daze before he tumbled over onto the ground. Stealing the opportunity to attack, Litwick spat another Ember at the fallen Pokémon. The attack landed spot-on and Leafeon's beige skin seared. Snapping out of his confusion from the sizzling attack, Leafeon rushed toward Litwick, his tail glowing with solar radiance, and slashed him with Leaf Blade.

"Pokemon are just tools for battle," Harle said. "They are simply utensils one uses to achieve his or her goals. Nothing more."

"No, you're mistaken," I said, turning to face Ninetales. "Pokémon are so much more than that. They're living, breathing creatures just like you and I. They possess thoughts, feelings, and emotions, just like we do. They feel pain and sadness and love just like we do. Observe!" I pointed at the baby Kangaskhan still crying over its fallen mother.

Harle cast her gaze in the direction and pointed and stared for a few moments. Wondering if she would have a change of heart, I questioned my own motives. Was I using Pokémon as tools of war as well? I thought back to when I was first starting out as a trainer, the way I forced my Pokémon to train all day long. Never hearing them complain, I assumed they were okay with it. Had I been wrong all this time?

_Nics, do you love your Pokémon?_ Samuel—my older brother—would ask me after reading me a bedtime story.

_Huh? Yeah, I guess so…_ I would reply uncertainly.

Samuel would smile at me and tuck a rebel strand of my scarlet hair behind my ear. He would clasp my hand in his, amplifying their tininess in his. _They love you,_ he would say. _I can tell._

Back then, I didn't know it was possible for a Pokémon to love a human. I thought they were just unfeeling creatures, much like the way Harle felt.

But then, one day when I was seven years old, Samuel sent me to the super market down the street to pick up some groceries. On the way home, some of the neighborhood boys stopped me. They pushed me and called me names, laughing when I fell down. My eyes stung with the tears building in them, a pain I had grown used to, and I watched as a small puddle of blood leaked from my scuffed elbows and knees.

A small noise fluttered past my ears and I heard the boys gasp. I turned around to see that my Ralts had released herself from her Poké Balls and was standing beside with her arms out. _Don't fret, mistress,_ she said into my mind_. I'll protect you_. The boys looked in horror as leaves magically flew off a nearby tree and whizzed past them. They all covered their heads and ran away, but Ralts got creative and dropped one of the boy's pants, causing him to trip and fall. I couldn't help but laugh as he tried to run away with his pants around his ankles.

_Thank you, Ralts,_ I had said and hugged her. It was the first time I had experienced the feel of someone besides Samuel genuinely loving me. With a constantly absent mother and a father I never knew, Samuel was all the family I had.

"This shall require much thought," Harle replied and looked back at me, holding out her Poké Ball. "Bisharp, return." The bandit-like Pokémon was teleported back into his enclosure without resistance and Harle turned away. "Miles, we're leaving."

Miles gyrated to look at Harle and said, "Aww, but it was just getting fun." Litwick had sent his Will-o-Wisp flames and they danced around Leafeon's head, but the Verdant Pokémon struck them down again with Razor Leaf. "Let's go, Litwick." He called the Pokémon back into its ball and Leafeon cocked his head in confusion, morphing back into Eevee.

"You're going to leave just like that?" Cotton yelled, slapping his chest with his palms. "No, we're not through with this battle yet! Get back here and fight me!"

Miles returned his sword to its scabbard and took a bow. "Another time, my friend. When Harle says it's time to go, it's time to go." He spun on his heels and looked to his Leavanny that was stroking the baby Kangaskhan's back. "Come on, Leavanny."

The Pokémon shook its head and continued to comfort the weeping Kangaskhan. Miles scoffed. "So, you're going to stay here then?" Leavanny nodded. "Fine. You weren't any good, anyway." He took off jogging after Harle, who was already a great distance away, his metal armor clacking as he ran.

I returned Ninetales to her Poké Ball and Cotton did the same for Eevee. As we approached the Leavanny, she grew incredibly apprehensive, wrapping her arms around the baby Kangaskhan as it cried into her chest. "Don't worry, we mean you no harm," I tried to say in a comforting voice as we approached. I fumbled in my bag for Gardevoir's Poké Ball and summoned her into the forest.

'Hello, mistress. How are you?' she said into my mind.

"Can you converse with this Pokémon and inform her that we are on her side?" I asked.

'Of course, mistress.' Gardevoir turned to the Leavanny, who was still clutching the baby. The two conversed, Gardevoir through telepathy and Leavanny verbally, and I could only guess what they were saying. I shifted my weight onto my left leg and felt my foot bump against something. Bending over to get a better look, I saw that it was a perfectly spherical stone of a shade darker than any black I had ever seen. People say that midnight is the darkest our planet ever gets, but this stone seemed fifty times darker as I rolled it around in my palm.

I dropped the stone in the pocket of my blazer as Gardevoir turned back around to face me. 'Mistress, she says do you have a bandage?' This was the first time I noticed a small cut on the baby Kangaskhan's forehead. It wasn't big—maybe an inch or two long—but had a red trail draining from it.

Checking my bag, I realized I didn't. "My apologies, but no, I don't."

Gadevoir turned to Cotton. 'Master Cotton, she began, and he jumped from being startled by the sudden voice intruding in his head, 'do you have a bandage?'

"You have to quit scaring me like that," he said as he searched his backpack. He pulled out a band-aid and proceeded to Leavanny. Instead of handing it to her to dress the Pokémon herself, Cotton removed the paper and placed it on the Kangaskhan's injury, shushing them softly to let them know it was okay. "There, better now."

The Leavanny stared inquisitively at him for a few moments, but then turned her attention back to the Kangaskhan, who had stopped sobbing and was nodding off to sleep in her thin, insect-like arms.

"I suppose we'll be leaving now," I said. Bloodstone Forest had grown quite dark—darker than usual—and I knew it would be night soon. "Gardevoir, do you mind fabricating a Light Screen barrier over them to guard them for a while?"

Leavanny said something in her fluttery language and Gardevoir blinked her large, red eyes at me. 'She has asked to come with us.'

"What?"

Gardevoir nodded. 'After sensing Master Cotton's kind heart, she wishes that they both be taken in under his care.'

I glanced over at Cotton to see him stretching and yawning. "Really, Cotton?" Leavanny nodded and I saw what could pass for a smile grow on her face. "Congratulations, Cotton. You've just earned two new Pokémon," I said with a smirk.

Inclining a quizzical eyebrow, Cotton focused on the two Pokémon standing on the side of the path: an orphaned baby Kangaskhan and her adoptive Leavanny mother who once belonged to our opposition. An odd addition, no doubt, but Cotton graciously accepted, giving them both a home two Poké Balls he pulled from his backpack.

We continued trudging through Bloodstone Forest with our newfound allies, our sights set on Sapphire City. 'Cotton _does_ have a kind heart,' I thought, rubbing the outline of the stone in my pocket.

**WELP, HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER! HOPE YOU LIKED IT! PLEASE, GIVE ME FEEDBACK. I LOVE IT! MAKES MY WHOLE DAY, EVEN IF IT'S TO TELL ME HOW MUCH I SUCK :P WELL, UNTIL NEXT TIME, HAVE A JORDANNYY DAY (:**


	7. Chapter 7 - Poké Park

It was nearly eleven-o-clock when we arrived in Sapphire City and so dark out that it was difficult for me to see even Cotton's snowy white hair. I told him to go ahead and check us in at the Sapphire Motel while I stopped at a small pharmacy.

A soprano bell chimed as I walked through the door, causing the old man behind the counter to look up from his magazine. Ambling down the aisles of the shop, I searched for snacks and drinks. With a six-pack of Sun Drop, a bag of Doritos, and Pokémon-shaped fruit snacks, I made my way to the counter.

"That'll be thirteen dollars and ninety-four cent," the old man said, ringing up the items. Reaching into my bag for my wallet, something caught my eye. There was a rack sitting on the counter with prongs protruding out from it. Necklaces dangled loosely from the branches, but one in particular piqued my interest.

It was a silver braided chain with a semi-open, indigo lotus at the end. The opening of the flower seemed to be just large enough to slip in the black stone that I found in the forest. "I'd like to purchase this as well," I said, removing the pendant from its resting place and laying it on the counter. After paying the man the new total, I left the store and immediately tried on the lotus chain.

Gliding the midnight pearl into its new home, I smiled; it fit perfectly. I snapped it onto my neck and continued walking for the motel.

As I walked into the room, Cotton stepped out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His body and hair glistened with drops of water and a trail of steam followed him out the door. I shot a glare his way, but he merely smiled at me like it was as normal as anything else. "Did you get food?"

"I got _snacks_," I said, pouring out the contents on his bed.

Upon seeing the slim rations laid out before him, Cotton released a groan. "That's all? I need real food, meat, not this junk. I'm a man!"

I cut my eyes at him. "Hardly," I said, unwinding my scarlet braid. "And no other store was open. I promise we shall have an excellent breakfast."

"And then we'll go to the gym," he said.

Cherry locks cascading onto my shoulders, I unclasped the buttons of my blazer and slid it off. "Sapphire City Gym. I believe the leader is a woman by the name of Cassandra Fields, but she's a novice leader as well so I'm uncertain of her type specialty."

"Hey, Nicole," said Cotton. "Why do Gym Leaders and the Elite Four have type specialties anyway? Most regular trainers use a variety of types."

As I opened my mouth to answer, I remembered asking Samuel the same question one day. I smiled and tried to recite his words exactly. "Gym Leaders and the Elite Four use specific types as a way to prepare you for any situation. There are seventeen different types of Pokémon and twelve specialists in a region. While that may not cover every single type, it gives a taste of how to deal with many different types. Their strengths, weaknesses, and everything else you would need to know about them. Then you battle the Champion,"—I placed a hand on my chest—"who uses a variety of types to test what you've learned."

Cotton nodded slowly and blinked even slower. "I guess that makes sense, 'cause all of your Pokémon are different types." Plopping down onto his bed, Cotton reached over the side and pulled out all three of his Poké Balls. "Hey, I've got an idea. What if we let our Pokémon sleep outside their balls tonight?"

Knitting my eyebrows, I said, "Are you certain that's such a good idea?" He nodded cheerfully and released his Pokémon from their confines. Eevee landed on the bed with a plop, but, being the klutz that he was, he tumbled headfirst off the foot of the bed and onto the floor. Leavaany gracefully pirouetted away from the bed, and Kangaskhan sat lazily on the mattress, staring blankly at the swirly black and white design of the sheets.

Casting my glance around at the ragtag team, I reached into my bag for my own Poké Balls. "Well, genius, have you selected monikers for the new additions?"

"Yes, I have," he said with a grin. "That's Dizzy, and that's Lily." He pointed at Kangaskhan and Leavanny respectively.

Pondering the nicknames, I pulled out the Poké Balls. "Go, everyone!" Gardevoir floated around the room, examining every detail as Absol sniffed at a potted plant in the corner. Blissey—noticing that Kangaskhan was whimpering—handed him the Softboiled egg from her pouch and Roselia offered the baby Pokémon a bouquet of roses. Swirling her tails around, Ninetales secluded herself off to the side while Dewgong made herself at home in the bathtub.

Everything was going swimmingly—new friends were being made, intangible chattering was being exchanged, and I even caught Kangaskhan smiling—until Ninetales sneezed and sent flames in everyone's direction. Thankfully, Dewgong was there to douse the flames and we all helped clean up the ashes.

"The Felora Police Department has yet to find any clues on the recent disappearances of Maple Goldburrow and Annalisa Tomlinson," said the same anchorman from the night before. I looked around and made sure everyone was asleep before checking the news on my PDA, earphones in so I didn't disturb anyone.

"But," he continued, "some believe that these vanishings are somehow related to the Pokémon Lab Massacre, since the terrible incident occurred precisely two years before Professor Maple's disappearance. Also, the professor was head of the research department that was recovering the lost data. A week before her disappearance, she informed our news team that the recovery was nearly complete. We'll show you that clip now."

The screen flipped to an old interview between a reporter and Professor Maple, her chestnut skin gleaming with perspiration from all her hard work. "Some of the discs were pretty banged up," she said, brushing a loose strand of hair from her brow, "but through everyone's hard work and relentless efforts, we've nearly cracked through. Just an approximation, but I say that we should have all of the lost data recovered in a week or so."

"Unfortunately," the anchorman continued as the screen switched back, "she wasn't given the opportunity to complete the project. And with her absence, the Pokémon Lab in Garne Town has all but shut down."

The memory of the lab flashed back to me, and I remembered how disorganized and frantic everything seemed to be. Professor Maple was the glue that held that place together, and without her it has fallen apart. "We'll keep you posted on this story," the newscaster concluded. Not caring what other stories were being broadcast, I shut my PDA down and laid it on the bedside table.

The mattress hugged me as I sank down into it. All the different breathings in the room merged together into one united sound. I attempted to distinguish each one—attempted to separate Roselia's soft moans from Dewgong's rumbling snores—but found it impossible. It should've been easy; the two Pokémon couldn't have been more different—one was a tiny flower and the other was a plump sea lion—but I couldn't seem to distinguish them.

And that's when I came to the realization that no matter how different they were in appearance, behavior, or aptitudes, they were all Pokémon. One race; one big happy family in which I felt included.

For once, I was a member of something bigger than myself.

* * *

"Wake up, Nicole!"

My eyelashes fluttered a little before I saw Cotton standing over me, shaking my shoulders to life. Pushing his hands away, I leaned up into a slouchy sitting position. "Why must you be such a morning lark?"

He shrugged and raised his eyebrows in innocence. "I guess I'm just naturally an early bird. Come on, we've got to go," he said, tugging on my wrists.

"Quit," I said. "I'm not wearing pants." As I pulled the covers up higher on my legs, he let go of my hands and stuck out his tongue at me.

"Put on some pants and I'll be waiting for you outside," he said, slipping his backpack on and heading for the door.

Looking around the room, I noticed all the Pokémon—mine and his—were gone. "Wait," I called, and he turned around, "where did all of the Pokémon go?"

He smiled. "I'll show you once you put some pants on," he said, and left the room. I continued sitting on the bed for a few moments in a daze, wondering what he was up to. Slipping out of bed, I checked the weather on my PDA: blazingly sunny with a low temperature of eighty-nine degrees. This was not a blouse and blazer sort of day. Adorning myself in a dark green halter top and a pair of blue jean Capri pants, I grabbed my bag and left the motel.

Now that it was daytime, I could see the beautiful city of sapphire in its fullest. Glass buildings rose from the ground, seeming to push against the sky with their roofs, and the hodgepodge of sights, sounds, and smells nearly overwhelmed me. I bumped into Cotton a few times as he would stop and stare at all the sights around us, eagerly drinking it all in.

We passed a small bakery shop and the fragrance of freshly baked bread assaulted our nose, bringing us to the realization that we were both famished. "We shall dine here," I stated, "after you show me whatever it may be you wish for me to view."

"Sounds like a winner to me," Cotton replied, stopping in front of a building labeled Poké Park. "In here." He pushed open the door to the building and we crept down a seemingly endless hallway. Finally, we approached the light at the end of the tunnel and what I saw stole the breath from my lungs.

Scenery of every imaginable habitat embellished a gargantuan gymnasium: a patch of deciduous forest, a lush field of flowers, dry desert sand, a snowy ravine, rocky hills, and even a shimmering pond. It was a thing of beauty. Scanning the area, I found mine and Cotton's Pokémon scattered about in different environments, associating with other people's Pokémon. To the far right of the room was a set of bleachers, on which sat several trainers. Some conversed with each other, some read or texted, while others were asleep.

Cotton led me to the bleachers and we sat, casting our gaze out at our Pokémon. Neither of us uttered a word, we simply sat in a pure, incessant silence. "How did you discover this location?" I finally asked, slicing the stillness.

"Well," he began, corseting his fingers together, "I went to the gym a little while ago, but it wasn't open yet, but there was a sign on the door recommending me to come here until the gym opens at ten-o-clock. So, I followed street signs until I finally wound up at the right address. I only had intentions of bringing _my_ Pokémon over here, but yours seemed like they wanted to go too, so I marched them all over here."

I imagined what that must have looked like, a conga line of Pokémon parading down the streets. The heads that must have turned. Consulting my PDA for the time, I recognized that fact that it was a few minutes after ten. "The gym is open now," I informed him. "Why haven't you departed?"

Shaking his head, Cotton said, "You're missing the reason I even brought you here. Don't you see?" He turned back to the area below and I did the same. I hadn't noticed it before, but all of our Pokémon appeared to be happier than they had been in a long time. Roselia camouflaged herself in a field of petunias, while Leavanny danced around in the forest. Absol, Eevee, and Kangaskhan played a game that appeared somewhat like hide-and-seek in the mountainous section.

Dewgong waded in the pond with some other fish-like Pokémon while Blissey sat along the banks wearing a pair of shades, soaking in the sun's rays. Even Ninetales—who sat by her lonesome in the dusty wasteland—wore a smile on her foxy face. Though, as I observed the room, I noticed Gardevoir's absence.

'Good morning, mistress.' I nearly leapt from my skin as the Embrace Pokémon spoke into my thoughts. Looking to my left, I saw her sitting on the bleachers beside me, innocently staring out at the other Pokémon, oblivious to the fact that she nearly stopped my heart. 'How are you?'

"Well," I began, still struggling to catch my breath, "I'd be better if you wouldn't startle me like that."

She veered her neck in my direction and blinked harmlessly. 'My apologies, mistress. Isn't this place ravishing?'

I nodded. "Yes, it is. Why aren't you out there?"

'I didn't want to leave you unaccompanied, mistress.'

Looking to my right, I said, "Cotton is with me."

"I sure am," he retorted, glancing over at Gardevoir.

'Oh, I understand, mistress,' she said. 'The two of you wish to be alone together. My apologies, mistress.'

"W-What? N-No, it's not like that!" I stammered, feeling the warmth of my cheeks flushing. "How you could assume a thing such as that?"

But Gardevoir had already teleported away. "Well," Cotton began, draping his arm across my shoulders, "looks like we're finally alone." Rolling up a fist, I targeted the smug grin feathering across his jaw. He fell back and nearly rolled down the bleachers.

"Idiot," I grunted, crossing my arms over my chest.

Sitting up, Cotton rubbed his chin and cut his eyes at me. "You pack a mean punch, you know. If you were a Pokémon, you'd be a fighting-type."

We stayed in the Poké Park for another hour or so before leaving. I shot a glare in Gardevoir's direction, but I highly doubt she noticed, and if she did, she thought nothing of it. We dined at the bakery, which had the most scrumptious French bread I had ever tasted. Once we were full, we set out.

Following Cotton's directions back to the gym was a prime example of the expression _the blind leading the blind_. Though he had visited the gym only a few hours earlier, he couldn't seem to make up his mind if we should turn left or veer right.

Or go straight.

Thanks to a random Good Samaritan on the street, we worked our way to the gym, which seemed rather pedestrian from the outside. But once we were inside, the dazzling allure of the gym overwhelmed us.

The setup seemed to be a mix of a jewelry store and a museum, with glass display cases that contained an assortment of gems and rhinestones. I sauntered around room, gazing at each stone, and noticed that none of them even resembled the one I wore around my neck.

"Oh, hello," a feminine voice echoed. Cotton and I turned to see a lady walk though a shady doorway in the back that I hadn't seen before. Her sandy-blond hair was permed to perfection on her head and her heavily made-up face looked beautifully fake. "Are you here to challenge the gym?"

"Yes," Cotton spoke up. "Are you the leader?"

The woman flipped the feathery boa around her neck and said, "Yes, I'm Cassandra Fields."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Cotton said, extending his hand to the woman. She sashayed by him—ignoring his friendly gesture—and he dropped his hand to his side. "I'm Cotton and this is my friend Nicole."

"I'm so happy for you," she said, sounding slightly annoyed. She looked around the room and placed her glove-adorned hands on her hips. "You guys didn't touch anything, did you?" We shook our heads. "Good. These gems are worth a fortune."

"I'm so happy for you," I mimicked under my breath so she couldn't hear.

Cotton twiddled his thumbs awkwardly and said, "So, can I challenge you?"

Cassandra sighed. "I suppose. I have nothing better to do at the moment." Rubbing her hands down the sides of her silvery dress—which was so short and tight that the only thing holding it down was the force of gravity—she retrieved a Poké Ball from her purse. "Let's begin."

**WELL, THE BATTLE WILL COME IN THE NEXT CHAPTER AND I'LL MAKE SURE IT'S A GOOD ONE. THIS ONE WAS BASICALLY JUST NICOLE DOING A LOT OF THINKING AND WHATNOT, BUT STILL TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT(: UNTIL NEXT TIME, HAVE A JORDANNYY DAY! :D**


	8. Chapter 8 - Outrage

Sandslash slung his three-inch claws at Leavanny, but the Nurturing Pokémon nimbly danced out of the way. But the Mouse Pokémon wasn't giving up yet; he pounced at Leavanny again, slicing the air with his talons, but continued to miss his target.

"Lily, use Razor Leaf!" Cotton commanded. Crossing her arms, Leavanny twirled around, casting out foliage from her leafy cloak. The jagged-edged leaves floated midair for a moment before launching at Sandslash.

"Sandstorm!" Cassandra barked, and her Pokémon nodded in approval. Planting a foot firmly behind him, Sandslash scraped his claws against each other. An ominous wind blew the leaves off course, sending them tumbling to the ground, before the entire building was engulfed in a dusty tempest. I covered my face, protecting my eyes from the flying dirt, and wondered where all this sand had come from.

Cotton coughed and peaked through the spaces between his fingers until the squall turned less violent. I could see Cassandra's silhouette on the opposite side of the room, her boa breezing in the zephyr of sand, but Sandslash and Leavanny were nowhere to be found.

"Lily!" Cotton cried out, but there was no reply.

I heard Cassandra cackling wildly. "Your Pokémon was swallowed by the sandstorm, little boy. Sorry to break it to you."

'No,' I thought. 'It can't be true. She's lying.' That's when I heard a small _eep_ from above. Turning my attention to the ceiling, I saw Leavanny hanging to the rafters by a silky thread. The sight was almost laughable, but I restrained myself.

Sandslash came burrowing out of the dunes, sniffing around for his opponent. He looked upward to see her dangling from the roof and looked to his master for command. "Sand Tomb!" she proclaimed, and he nodded. As Sandslash threw his head back and yelped, a geyser of sand erupted from the pit and gushed towards the helpless Pokémon.

Cotton yelled, "Silver Wind!" As Leavanny sliced her arms through the air, argent crescents rained down, cutting through the sandy upsurge and gusting closer to Sandslash. He rolled up in a spiny ball and the silvery waves bounced off of his shell. A rebel crescent ricocheted around the room and sliced the silk Leavanny was dangling from, dropping her to the floor. She landed softly in the sand and wasted no time lunging at the rolled up Pokémon.

"What is she doing?" questioned Cotton, who wasn't entirely sure what all moves this Pokémon possessed. Like the others that Harle and Miles boasted, Leavanny was a Pokémon I had never heard of before. But I had learned enough about her through observation. She was a grass and bug type, very nurturing, graceful, and enjoyed weaving clothes from her silk.

She lashed onto the Pokémon's fleshy underside, digging her elongated teeth into his tan skin. Unrolling, Sandslash cried out and swatted her away with his claws, causing Leavanny to squeal and tumble away. When she cut her eyes back at Sandslash, I saw two long scratch marks on her cheek.

"Lily!" Cotton called out, and she veered over to look at him. This diversion gave Sandlash enough time to douse Leavanny in a waterfall of sand, burying her.

Cassandra gloated with her wicked laughter. "Too bad, little boy. Your Pokémon is—"

She wasn't given the chance to finish her statement. Leavanny leapt out of the sandy pit, sending grains of the mineral everywhere. She stretched her thin arms and cast out a surge of leaves. Sandslash attempted to shield his body with his arms, but he ultimately fell over into the sand, no energy to fight any longer.

"What?" Cassandra cried out, flabbergasted at her Pokémon's defeat. "You're strong for a little boy, but I'm not through yet!" Sandslash returned to his Poké Ball and she pulled another from her extravagant, jewel-encrusted purse. "Go, Cubone!" The Lonely Pokémon stood in the sandy field, bone clutched in his hand, his head tilted down and eye closed. "Bone Rush!"

Perking awake, Cubone flew towards Leavanny, gliding across the sand, before bringing his club down on top of her head. Her knees faltered and she crumbled into a verdant pile. "Good job, Lily. Get some rest," Cotton said, pulling the fainted Pokémon back inside her Poké Ball.

'Alright, Eevee,' I thought, seeing him reach into his backpack for the next Poké Ball, but he hesitated. For a tentative moment, he stared into the contents of his knapsack as if pondering his next move. With a sigh, he grabbed a ball and hurled it onto the field.

"Go, Dizzy!" My heart slowed for a moment as I struggled to process what was going on. Why was Cotton sending out the baby Kangaskhan instead of his prized Eevee? Was losing his desire? Kangaskhan looked around the sandy arena as if she didn't know what was going on. "Alright, Dizzy. Remember our battle strategy?" The corners of her mouth flipped down, but she nodded anyway. "Okay, good. Just do what you did in practice. No pressure."

Cassandra burst out laughing, something I was growing tired of. "Seriously? A baby Kangaskhan? I'm almost insulted by this. This shouldn't last too long. Come on, Cubone. Give her a taste of your Iron Head." Cubone dug his toes into the sand behind him and sprang forward head-first toward Kangaskhan. His hand bashed directly into the baby Pokémon's chest, pushing out a small cry from her lungs.

"Counter!" yelled Cotton. Kangaskhan peeked out her squinted eyes and flipped over, smashing her tail against Cubone's back and sending him flying downward into the sand. The Lonely Pokemon grunted when he landed hard on his tummy and Kangaskhan fell down into the sand. "Now Dig!"

Kangaskhan hopped into the air briefly before burrowing into the sand with her tiny claws. When Cubone came to, she was completely immersed underground. "Cubone," Cassandra began, "let her feel the earth tremble." With a quick nod, Cubone shoved his bone down into the sand and a loud snap resonated through the gym. The floor quivered and trembled, and I leaned against the wall to avoid falling. "Earthquake!"

The sand drained through cracks that developed in the floor. I watched the cracks grow out into a network of fissures, resembling lightning streaks across the sky. A stalagmite erupted from the fractured earth, sending Kangaskhan flying into the air. "Now Bonemerang!" Cassandra roared. Cubone twirled his bone like a baton and slung it at the midair Kangaskhan. It smacked into her, producing a loud whack, and returned to Cubone like a boomerang. Kangaskhan tumbled to the ground as sandy gusts spurted out from the splits in the earth, fogging my vision of the arena.

"Dizzy, use Comet Punch!" Cotton bellowed. After the sand rained back down, I saw Kangaskhan tossing hasty punches at Cubone, who blocked each one with his bone club. Delivering an uppercut to the skull mask on Cubone's head, Kangaskhan let out a battle cry and Cubone stumbled backward, grasping onto the helmet to keep it stable on his head.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I wondered if I had ever seen a Cubone without the skull on his head. Supposedly, Cubone mothers died not long after giving birth and the baby would wear the mother's skull as a keepsake of her. It was rather eerie to thank about. And sad. No wonder they call him the Lonely Pokémon.

Cassandra yelled, "Bone Rush!" Cubone stood pack up and thwacked Kangaskhan in the face with his skeletal weapon, evoking a cry from the young Pokémon. Shooting Cubone a glare, Kangaskhan punched the skull's cheek. Before long, the two small Pokémon were in a childish slap fight.

Cotton and Cassandra both called out to their respective Pokémon and the slap fight ended, both Pokémon looking to their trainers with an expression that said 'what did I do wrong?'

"Earthquake!" Cassandra shouted, and another stone pillar rose up from underneath the baby Kangaskhan, sending her flying. "And Bonemerang!" Cubone flung his twirling bone club at Kangaskhan and she smashed into the wall with a strained yelp.

"Dizzy!" Cotton cried as his Pokémon fell from the indent high up on the wall. Cubone lunged forward with another Iron Head—his skull glistening a metallic gray—and bashed his helmet into Kangaskhan's torso, cracking the wall around the small Pokémon's body.

I looked to Cassandra and the fact that she wore a smile on her face bothered me. It was almost like she was enjoying this. 'You can do this, Cotton.' I repeated the thought in my head several times, hoping that he could pull though. Somehow.

Cubone pushed off and landed a few feet away from the base of the wall, but Kangaskhan stayed pressed against the wall for a moment from the force of the attack. When she finally fell, she tumbled limply upon landing. I thought she was knocked out for a moment, but she weakly rose to her feet.

"Still moving, huh?" Cassandra said, grimacing. "Not for long. Sorry, little boy. Cubone, use Earthquake!" Hesitantly, as if he didn't really want to do it, Cubone stomped his foot and a column of earth to lift up underneath Kangaskhan. She flew into the air listlessly, her limps drooping. "And finish her off with Bonemerang!"

A glimmer of crimson sparked across Kangaskhan's eye as Cubone hurled the whirling bone club. A gasp ghosted past my lips as Kangaskhan reached out and grabbed the spinning bone, snapping it in half. She landed on one knee with a furious passion that caused the sand to gush out of the cracks. Her eyes illuminated with a violent vermillion as you rose to her feet, seeming to be rejuvenated with energy.

"W-What's going on?" Cassandra stammered. "Cubone, do something!" But her Pokémon stood deathly still, immobilized by fear.

"Dizzy? Are you okay?" Cotton said in a hushed tone, slightly apprehensive himself. It had been a while since I'd seen a Pokémon do this, but I knew what it was. Outrage, a very powerful move triggered by a sudden rush of anger.

Kangaskhan darted for Cubone and clotheslined him, sending him toppling down. Gritting her teeth, she rapidly fired punches at the already fallen Pokémon, emitting a low growl from her tight jaw. "Dizzy, I think that's enough…" Cotton said, trailing off.

But she didn't let up. In fact, her leaned back and released a mighty roar, one that didn't seem logical to come from something as tiny as her. "Dizzy, stop it!" he shouted.

Leering at Cotton, Kangaskhan scrunched her nose up. She kept staring for a few moments, and then her features started to soften to their natural state. With an exasperated sigh, she fell back.

Cassandra shivered with an expression half of fear and half of awe on her face. With a wobbly hand, she called Cubone back into his Poké Ball for a much needed rest. "Well, little boy, you won. I hope you're happy."

"I'm so sorry," he replied, returning a despondent Kangaskhan to her confines in the Poké Ball. "She's new and I didn't even know she could do that. I … I'm sorry."

Shaking her head, Cassandra extended her hand which held a tawny flake of metal in the shape of a ring of rocks. "It's okay, I know it wasn't intentional." I released a sigh of relief, thankful that she wasn't the type to hold grudges, even though she seemed like the type. "Here, take this Sand Badge."

"Thank you, Cassandra," he said, reaching for the badge, but she closed her hand.

"That's Miss Fields to you, little boy," she said with a somewhat seductive wink. She released her grip and Cotton swiped the badge. Inserting the badge into the circular space in his badge case, he gawked at the way it caught the light. "Oh, yeah, this too." She produced a TM disc, much like the one Burny had, but this one was tinted tan around the edged instead of red. "Take this, too. It's TM26, Earthquake." Cotton smiled and slid the disc into its appropriate slot in the TM Case.

"We genuinely appreciate it, Miss Fields," I said.

"Oh, _you_ can call me Cassandra, just not him," she said and laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. As her laughter died down, she cast her gaze down at my necklace and sucked in a deep breath. "That's a, umm, beautiful pendant. What kind of stone is that?"

I looked down at it myself. "This? Oh, well, I purchased the chain at the pharmacy located on Baker Avenue, but I discovered the stone itself in Bloodstone forest, and—"

"Can I have it?" she interrupted me.

Lowering my eyebrows, I said, "Pardon me?"

She tapped her nails against the hem of her dress, like a nervous habit. "Yeah, umm, can I have it?"

"Why, is it valuable?"

"Only to a collector, like me." She raked a finger through her sandy locks. "Please?"

I started to take it off, but something made me stop. My inner conscious, perhaps. Or maybe it was the lustful glaze in her eyes. Whatever it was, I stuffed my hands deep into my pockets and shook my head. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Why not?" she inquired.

Never being a good liar, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Because Cotton gave it to me!" Reaching around him, I pulled him to closer, my hips pressing into his waist. Until then, I never realized how much taller I was than him.

She raised one of her eyebrows. "But you said you found it in Bloodstone Forest."

"Well," Cotton began for me, "_I_ actually found it, but I gave it to Nicole. As a gift."

Cassandra shifted her eyes from me to Cotton, and then back to me. "Are you two a thing?" she asked.

"Yes, absolutely," I said, my cheeks flushing from embarrassment. Turning to Cotton, I saw he wore a smug expression on his face which made me blush more. "We're madly in love."

"Well, let me know if you change your mind…" she said, watched us as we left the gym together.

As soon as we were out of her sight and the doors closed, I pushed him away from me. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I thought we were madly in love."

"Silence yourself," I demanded, bringing my heel down on his toe. "We should be departing soon. Aquamalia is a fair distance away."

After retrieving our luggage at the Sapphire Motel, we set off for Aquamalia, and from there we would go to Pearlville, home of the next Gym Leader. The road there was fairly quiet, except for the calming sound of the river running beside us. Its cerulean surface shimmered in the afternoon rays and the lush grass on the banks framed it beautifully. Cotton stayed silent most of the way there and I noticed a tint of worry in his eye, but I couldn't blame him. That battle frightened me as well.

Despite Cotton's Kangaskhan being young and inexperienced, she was capable of using a powerful move like Outrage. Though the move is triggered by a sudden rush of emotion—generally wrath—I had never seen it completely take over a Pokemon like that. The intense fury in her eyes sent chills running down my spine, and I knew it did the same for Cotton. I almost felt sorry for him.

"Help! Help me!"

A gasp escaped my lungs as the cry passed through my ears. Darting towards the river, I saw rippling tides and a Marill standing on the banks, crying out in her own intangible language. A person broke through the surface of the water and gasped for breath, calling out for help again.

"Go, Dewgong!" I exclaiming, sending the Sea Lion Pokémon out of her Poké Ball and into the currents. Leaping onto her back, I pointed at the drowning civilian. Dewgong swam towards the person at a speed you wouldn't expect from a plump Pokémon. Once the person was within reach, I could see that it was a young girl, perhaps slightly younger than Cotton."Take my hand!" I said, reaching out to her.

The girl looked up and her watery eyes met mine. She fumbled around a little, trying to grasp the situation, and then clasped her hand onto mine. Yanking as hard as I could, the girl rose out of the water and straddled Dewgong. Her chest rested on my shoulder and we rode back to the shore. I handed her off to Cotton, who nearly dropped her back into the river. "Is she alright?" he asked, laying her down on the ground. The Marill rushed over to her and poked at her cheek with her stubby paws.

"Allow me to make sure," I replied, laying my ear against her chest. A racing pulse and faint breathing, signs of life. I proceeded to perform CPR on her, pushing my palms down against the middle of her chest. Cotton offered to perform mouth-to-mouth, but I shot him a glare and declined his assistance.

Finally, after a few minutes that seemed like hours, the girl coughed up several ounces of water and looked around in a daze. "What … happened?" she asked in a small voice.

I pushed some of the wet hair out of her face and noticed how pretty she was. Long chestnut hair, yellowish eyes, tan skin, round cheekbones, and a small dimpled chin. "You were drowning in the river, dear. Don't you remember?"

Marill whispered something in the girl's ear and she sighed. "Oh, yeah, how silly of me," she said, rising into a seated position. "I was looking at my reflection in the water and just sorta toppled in." Marill waggled her finger scornfully and spoke in her language that I couldn't understand.

"Well, at least you're alright now," I said, trying to sound hopefully. Extending a hand, I helped the young girl to her feet. "My name is Nicole, and this is my, umm, acquaintance Cotton." He eagerly shook hands with the girl and beamed a wide grin.

"It's nice to meet you," she said. "I'm Ara. Umm, are the two of you goin' to Aquamalia by any chance?"

Raking a finger through my scarlet hair, feeling a few wet patches, I said, "Indeed, we are. Why?"

"Oh, goodie!" she exclaimed, clapping and hopping. "There's gonna be a Pokémon Contest there tomorrow and I was hopin' to participate. Do you mind escortin' me there? I'll leave once we arrive, I promise."

Pondering this, I opened my mouth, ready to oblige, but Cotton beat me to it. "No, we don't mind at all. In fact, we'd be honored for you to be in our company."

"Oh, thank you so much, Cotton," she cheered, hugging him around his neck. I could tell by the satisfied look in his eye that he would enjoy having this girl around. "You too, Nicki!" She wrapped her arms around my waist, as she wasn't able to reach my neck.

Pushing her away, I said, "Rule number one, no hugging. Rule number two, it's Nicole, not Nicki. And Rule number three, try not to fall into the river anymore."

"Gotcha," she proclaimed, flashing me a thumbs up.

The three of us walked to Aquamaila. In all honesty, I was the only one _walking_. Ara and her Marill skipped along the shoreline and I had to keep scolding her for getting so close, while Cotton swaggered as if he were some movie star, feeling accomplished for earning a hug from the girl.

'This just keeps getting better and better.'

**YAYYYY ARA IS HERE! :D AS ALWAYS, GIVE ME FEEDBACK, LET ME KNOW WHAT'S GOOD, BAD, AND UGLY, IF THERE IS ANY :P HAHA WELL, UNTIL NEXT TIME, HAVE A JORDANNYY DAY!(:**


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